The Arrangement of Our Hearts
by MadmanJrs
Summary: In the aftermath of Cell, an arrangement is made that will forever link two young souls. How will they cope when new responsibilities are thrust upon them and something that opens them up to a feeling they didn't know they could have: love. A mixture of drama, humour and a shit ton of romance. Possible lemons and some violence. Cover Image by AtariBetch on Deviantart [ON HIATUS]
1. Chapter 1 - The World Champ's Task

**Chapter 1: The World Champ's Task**

"I… I am Perfect!"

The loud wailing shook the very Earth around them as a wave of Blue Energy consumed the screaming being. As the Kamehameha engulfed him, every body part, every molecule down to the most basic Cell started to disintegrate. With a flash of light, it was over. The enemy of the World was destroyed, everyone was saved.

Cell had been defeated.

Several metres from where Cell had previously been, a golden light began to flicker until it completely dissipated to show a young boy with dark hair and even darker eyes. Slowly he began to descend to the ground. He was exhausted, beyond anything a normal person should have experienced. But he was not normal. He had just fought perhaps the Greatest Battle in history… and he won.

With a loud thud, he fell into the ground beneath him, a slight smile on his face. The smile grew bigger and bigger until he began to laugh softly.

 _'I did it, Father. I made you proud.'_ he thought.

 _'You did, Gohan'_ replied a voice _'I could never be as proud of you as I am now.'_

Gohan's smile grew as his eyes began to shut and soon, he fell into unconsciousness; a well-deserved rest for the young saviour of the world. Soon other figures appeared beside him, all with smiles on their faces.

"I can't believe he did it" stated Krillin "I mean, I can sort of believe it but it's just… it's just so amazing, you know?"

Yamcha nodded.

"I feel you, man. If not Goku then Gohan, he's definitely his father's son" he said

Right beside where Gohan lay, a green man bent over, a slight smirk on his face.

"You did well, kid." Piccolo said to the sleeping Saiyan

Nearby, a solitary Saiyan stood beside a fallen warrior. Vegeta, the Prince of All Saiyans, the proudest of all the warriors present was not smiling, not even after that victory. He looked down at the young man sprawled out in a pool of blood. They may have beaten Cell but at what cost.

 _'Kakarot that damned fool is gone… and my son… Trunks… he's gone too. I wasn't strong enough.'_ he solemnly thought to himself

It had taken the death of his own flesh and blood for him to realize that maybe he wasn't as powerful as he thought himself to be. With a growing pain on his face, he looked down towards his companions then back to his fallen son.

 _'There must be another way. Kakarot died without fear. What does that make of me? I… I need to find this way.'_

He looked back down to the others with Piccolo noticing him. With a curt nod to the Namekian, Vegeta took off towards the skies, towards the two people he thought could help him find this new way.

"We should get Gohan to Dende, Trunks too." Tien said as he knelt down beside Piccolo.

Piccolo nodded before looking towards a figure cowering behind a rock formation.

"Take him to Dende, guys. I'll catch up." he said.

Tien and Krillin nodded and promptly picked up Gohan gingerly before taking off towards Kami's Lookout, followed by Yamcha who had gone to retrieve Future Trunk's body. Piccolo began to walk towards the huge boulders, towards the man who had been watching them, shaking with fear. His Afro was frizzy and slightly singed; dirt had caked up onto his tanned skin. He was scared of the Green Man who was walking towards him.

"Can you walk, Mr. Satan?" Piccolo asked him.

Hercule Satan nodded.

"Good, I need you to come with me for a moment." said the Namekian.

Hercule looked around him towards the unconscious bodies of his students and news crew.

"Will they be ok?" he asked Piccolo.

Piccolo nodded.

"Yes, just knocked out. We'll be back before they wake up."

He walked over and stood behind Mr. Satan and grabbed his shoulders. Mr. Satan gulped before being thrust into the air, held by the flying Green Man.

"Where are we going?" he asked.

"To meet the Guardian of the Earth" replied Piccolo "God, in a sense."

The trip to Kami's Lookout was uneventful, though Hercule Satan was in awe of how high they were. These were no tricks, as he had previously thought. There was no way that wires and cables could reach this high and yet, they were flying without any machine. Soon after, they reached a building in the sky. The floor comprised of white tiles that almost glimmered in the sun, lined with trees green enough to make the jungles near the Southern Continent jealous.

"We're here. Come, we have much to discuss." Piccolo said as he placed the World Champion down.

In the distance, Gohan was surrounded by the men that Hercule saw earlier. The ones who had helped the boy fight Cell at the very end. Another Green Man who looked almost like the man he arrived with was knelt down beside the boy, his hands raised above his body. Mr. Satan's eyes widened a little as he saw a yellowish glow surround the smaller Namekian's hands and the young boy's body. As he watched, the scratches, bruises and cuts on Gohan's body began to disappear and close. Giant gashes and cuts began to close up and were soon replaced by faint scarring. The worst of the injuries the boy had sustained was along his left shoulder. While the wound had closed and healed up, it left a much more pronounced scar that ran along his collarbone down towards the back of his elbow.

"Amazing…" Mr. Satan muttered "how?"

He moved closer and met eyes with the one healing the boy. The Namekian smiled at him as the yellow glow around them disappeared. He stood up, dusted himself off and began to speak.

"Mr. Popo, could you bring the Dragon Balls here?"

The next 30 minutes was like a blur to Mr. Satan. Everything seemed to go by both fast and slow, but every moment confusing. They had gathered a bunch of Orange spheres and not soon after, a giant Dragon appeared in the sky, asking them for wishes. His heart eased a little when he heard them wish the destruction Cell had left in his wake away, as well as bringing back the Lavender haired man he saw back to life. The young saviour who had beaten Cell was up and about like he hadn't just gone through the most intense fight in existence. He began to wonder how this was all possible. Everything he had seen today seemed like the kind of magic you'd read about in a fantasy story and yet here it all was before him, all real. No one seemed to pay attention to him and they all talked amongst each other like they were at a family reunion. For someone like the World Champ who was used to having cameras and loyal fans following his every move, he had never felt more invisible in his life. And on top of that, he still had to meet "God".

The one called Dende began to walk towards Mr. Satan and Piccolo, a slight look of apprehension on his face.

"Welcome, Hercule Satan. I am Dende. I am the Guardian of the Earth." he greeted the slightly shaking man.

"So, you're God?" he asked.

"Essentially, but I am still learning my duties."

Dende then turned towards Piccolo.

"So, Piccolo" he began to say "what was this plan of yours and why did you bring Mr. Satan here?"

Piccolo looked towards Hercule with a serious look upon his face.

"Hercule Satan, what we have to ask of you isn't something we might all want. But it's necessary. Can you do what must be done?"

The World Champ took a big gulp and nodded. What were they about to ask of him? Piccolo leant down, close enough to a whisper that the few others on the lookout would not hear.

"When you return down to Earth, we need you to tell everyone… that you were the one to beat Cell."

Hercule Satan's eyes opened wide. His mouth was agape.

"You want me to what?" he exclaimed in disbelief "But what about the boy? He was the one to do it; he was the one that saved the world."

Dende frowned slightly, picking up on what Piccolo had in mind and agreeing with his judgement.

"He's just that. A boy"

"He's just lost his father and I know his mother well enough that they might not handle everything well, especially if the World begins to search for him and hound him" Piccolo stated.

Hercule sighed. They did have a point and who was he to deny the request of God.

"I-I'll do it but… I don't really feel right about it" he said "I didn't really do anything."

He looked at Dende who smiled gently.

"Not necessarily true. You may have been out-classed by Cell. But you did show up, regardless. The Public still needs a Hero to look up to and we don't think he should be put through that, especially at his age and with everything going on in his life now."

That still didn't ease Mr. Satan's conscience. Sure, he was used to it all, being the World Champ and all. He had spent the past few years bad mouthing all the previous fighters before him for these tricks and yet, after today. How could he? He had seen everything with his own eyes unfold before him. This was all so very real.

"I… I guess you're right. Especially with his father gone, he is still just a boy" Mr. Satan said "I just don't feel good about what's going to happen when I do tell the World. He deserves some of that recognition."

Mr. Satan looked towards the boy off in the distance. He had a smile on his face but deep down, you could tell he was missing something within him. No boy should have to watch his father die in front of him like that. Piccolo took notice of Hercule's expression and spoke.

"I expect that the World will want to reward you for your 'services'. Alright, here's what you can do."

Hercule looked up at the taller Namekian.

"Tell me what I can do to help"

"Meet us at Mount Frypan in 2 months. The boy and his Mother will need time to grieve. We can discuss an arrangement on how they can be rewarded for their service to the people without the public knowing."

"Mt Frypan?" Hercule wondered "Isn't that where the tyrant Ox King lives?"

Dende chuckled lightly.

"I wouldn't call the Ox King a Tyrant from what I've seen. He's the boy's Grandfather and is as gentle as they come."

"HE'S ROYALTY?" Mr. Satan yelled "How do you expect him to stay hidden from the world then? Especially after everything that's happen."

"We'll handle that" Piccolo stated "No one really knows that the Ox King has a Grandson. The world will find out when the boy is ready. For now, you can meet the Ox King and his Daughter in 2 months and discuss a way to help them then."

"Very well" Mr. Satan replied "I'll do it and meet them then. God knows that the boy deserves something for what he's done."

Dende laughed at the human's choice of words.

"I do know that hahaha. Just remember Mr. Satan. You must not tell anyone about anything that happened here. Piccolo if you could be so kind to escort our guest back down."

Piccolo nodded and gripped Hercule again by his shoulders. As soon as they landed besides the still unconscious reporter, he was off again. Hercule sighed as the green figure disappeared into the sky. He looked down at the reporter who had begun to stir. The camera man beside him had woken up as well.

"Wha-what happened? Mr. Satan?" the reporter asked weakly.

"Is the camera still working?" the burly Champion asked.

The Camera-man nodded.

"We lost the feed connection for a while but I think I've got it back now."

He stood up and began to film Mr. Satan who was stood beside the now up reporter.

"Mr. Satan what happened? Is Cell gone? Where are the other fighters that were here?"

Hercule Satan took a deep breath and began to speak.

"WAHAHAHA! I'LL TELL YOU WHAT HAPPENED! I HAPPENED!" he began to shout proudly.

"That oversized Cockroach was no match for me and my Megaton Punch!"

He looked at the Reporter and his students who had taken their place beside him.

 _'Please buy it, please buy it, please buy it'_ he began to repeat in his mind.

A wide grin appeared on the reporters face.

"Well there you have it, folks! It seems once again our beloved World Champion Mr. Satan has defended us from certain doom!"

A wave of relief came over Mr. Satan. He was almost in shock. There was no doubt they had seen all these 'tricks' during the battle and yet believed him.

"Tell us, Mr. Satan! What happened to those other fighters? What happened to the 'Delivery Boy' who had been fighting Cell earlier?" asked Caroni, the more flamboyant of his two present students.

Mr. Satan winced a little.

 _'The Delivery Boy… I… I wish everyone could know how much of a hero you really were, kid.'_

"Well! He was fighting Cell alright but when he was starting to lose, he asked me to tag in for him!" Hercule Satan explained "I was the one to beat Cell but he did help me after all! Maybe one day I'll make him my student HAHAHA!"

Everyone looked up to him in awe as he stood there with his hands on his hips, chest puffed out, almost arrogantly. The Camera Feed was being broadcasted all over the World and soon, the entire world populace had begun to chant for their Hero: The Mighty Defeater of Cell. All including one young girl who sat in a large room, eyes glued to the Computer on which she had been watching the stream live. She smiled at the pictures on the screen as she held her black pigtails in her hands.

"You did it, Daddy" she muttered "I'm so proud."

She stood up in glee as her Father wasn't just the World Champion; he was the Saviour of the World. With a gentle twirl she sat back down at her desk and closed the stream. She moved the cursor down towards the taskbar and clicked the instance of Photoshop she had opened earlier. Sighing in admiration, she stared dreamily at the image she had screen shotted earlier. A young boy, dressed in a purple Gi with Golden Hair and Teal eyes who had held his own against the monster Cell. She hadn't been able to see all of the fight as the live feed had cut off but from what she had seen, he was… amazing.

She couldn't wait for her Dad, no her Hero to come back home. Maybe he could tell her more about the fight with Cell. Maybe he could tell her more about 'The Delivery Boy'.


	2. Chapter 2 - The Arrangement

**Chapter 2: The Arrangement**

The two months following Cell's defeat had gone by and the Earth was still in euphoria over The World Champion's amazing victory. As they had predicted, donations and other monetary opportunities had bombarded the Satan household. Even his young daughter, Videl had her own share of publicity. Life wasn't easy at first for Hercule Satan. Here he was, the World Champion being showered with gifts and yet, it all made him uneasy. In the first month he had almost wished he had simply told the truth about the Delivery Boy but the admiration of the World as well as his own Daughter had him in an uneasy state of both pride and worry. He wasn't sure how he could cope with this burden that the God of the Earth had put on him.

To make matters worse for him, his little Sweet Pea had begun an almost unhealthy obsession with the Delivery Boy. Every day she asked him questions about the mysterious youth. Every day he would notice her staring at the image of the true saviour that she had set as not just her desktop wallpaper but phone wallpaper. Even the two blonde best friends she had was starting to notice that this might not just be an ordinary crush.

Hercule began to take to the escape of alcohol, parties and sex to help ease his worries. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't fill the whole left in him by this whole ordeal, not to mention his wife's passing the three years before. All the riches in the world couldn't compare to what he truly had and that was his little girl, Videl. And yet he had to keep up this whole charade thrust upon him even towards her. He was her hero and he had to keep up that appearance.

He sat in his study with a glass of whiskey in his hand as one of his drivers approached him.

"Sir, it's time to go" the man said.

Hercule took one last sip of his drink and nodded.

"Videl's gone to school then, Atkins? Very well, let's be off."

The trip to Mount Frypan was a slow and boring one for Hercule. In the short amount of time, he had begun to grow used to the loud noises of parties, groupies throwing themselves at him and even Videl's incessant talk about how cool the Delivery Boy was. Yet all that he could keep on his mind was this upcoming arrangement he had to make with the Ox King's family. Two more hours passed before they had arrived.

"We're here sir" Atkins announced.

Hercule took a deep breath and stepped out the door, a silver briefcase in hand.

* * *

Inside a large room, a woman with dark hair tied up into a bun sat with her hands resting on her growing belly. It seemed her husband had left her one last gift before leaving the world of the living. Across her sat a much larger figure, whose massive size seemed to squeeze his body through the gaps of the chair he was occupying.

"Do you think this was really necessary, Piccolo?" the woman asked.

A green figure stood by the window on the other side of the room watching a limousine pull up to the castle gates.

"It's easier this way" Piccolo replied "At least until Gohan's ready. But at least you can get something out of this too, Chi Chi."

Chi Chi relaxed a little in her chair. She wasn't fond of Hercule Satan who had spent the last 3 years bad mouthing her husband's achievements. But when she had learned from Piccolo and Dende that the World Champion wanted Gohan to get the recognition he deserved, her opinion of him eased. While she wanted her baby to be the most popular, the strongest and smartest being on the planet, she agreed with the judgement of the two Namekians. Gohan was just too young to be placed in a position like that and while he was recovering, he still hadn't taken Goku's death as well as they would have liked.

Even the Ox King was a little worried about his Grandson. While he was probably the Strongest Being on the Planet, maybe even the Universe, he was just a boy and needed time to himself.

"My lord," a servant began to speak as he entered the room "Hercule Satan is here."

"Let him in" the Ox King replied.

With a bow, the Servant disappeared behind the door and was soon replaced by the burly figure of Mr. Satan. He walked across the room and bowed before he reached the waiting company. His normal swagger and confidence replaced with an air of respect and unease at the three figures in front of him. The servant from earlier reappeared beside him and cleared his throat.

"Hercule Satan, may I present the Ox King Gyumao and his daughter Princess Chi Chi"

Hercule bowed and took the seat allocated to him when the Ox King motioned him to sit.

"Welcome Mr Satan" the Ox King began to speak "I trust the journey here wasn't too tiresome?"

"Not at all" Hercule replied "I guess I'm just eager to get through this as you are"

He lifted the briefcase in hand up and set it on the table.

"While I don't wish to seem rude for offering this, especially considering you're royalty. Please accept this money that I had been given for the efforts against Cell."

Chi Chi's eyes widened as she saw the briefcase open. There had to be about 20 million Zeni in there. Soon she caught herself and tried to stop staring. She had to appear like she had more control in this Arrangement than Hercule Satan. After all, he was the one getting all the riches and rewards that her Gohan deserved.

"Is this all you have to offer us?" she asked haughtily "I've seen how much you've been given on the news."

Hercule laughed uneasily.

"Ha well, I can't be giving it all away in one go, you see. I have to keep up appearances and live that lavish lifestyle. I'm sure you'd understand"

Whilst he had been willing to give the Delivery Boy and his family what they deserved, he had started to grow accustomed to his current lifestyle. Not to mention his little girl Videl could have anything she ever wanted.

"He's right. We need him to make this as believable as possible" Piccolo stated as he stood out from the shadows.

"But Piccolo, you know my little boy deserves this all! He's the one that beat Cell!" Chi Chi protested.

"Gohan's still a child, dear. He doesn't have any use for this money and knowing him, he wouldn't want to have it all" the Ox King said.

Chi Chi stood up, her frustration was growing a little.

"But think of what he could have in the future! Enough money to get him into the fanciest of schools. He could have any course he wanted! I can't home school him forever."

"Actually, I think I could also help with that" Mr Satan interjected.

Chi Chi raised an eyebrow at him which intimidated him.

"Uh well haha, you see how you watch the news and um" he began.

"Go on…" she growled.

"Well they're renaming my home city Orange Star City after me, including a lot of facilities and I'll have a lot of pull and influence with important areas there."

Chi Chi's expression relaxed as Hercule continued to explain what he could do.

"Orange Star University is one of the finest institutions in the World and I'm sure I could organise a scholarship for him in the future for whatever he wants."

There was a sudden shriek of glee that filled the room as Chi Chi began to talk away in her own little world.

"Oh you would do that for my Gohan? Oh just imagine it, he could graduate with all the Doctorates and Qualifications he would need!"

Mr Satan laughed uneasily and continued.

"Ah yes well, since you said he's homeschooled that might not be enough, he'll still need to graduate from a high school in the future to get into the university."

Chi Chi's moment of glee had stopped for a second and she stared directly at the now shaking World Champion. Within a few seconds, her glare was replaced with a soft smile.

"That's ok! I think I can send him there for his final year or two. I mean it would be good for him to interact with the world anyways."

Hercule sighed in relief as his body relaxed in the chair. What was with this woman? For the mother of a Hero like the Delivery Boy her mood seemed to change on a dime. He glanced towards the Ox King who seemed to be a little more reserved compared to his daughter.

'Maybe I should wrap this up before I get the living bajeezus scared out of me.'

"Well if that's okay with you, I should be heading back home. Long drive you see" he said as he began to stand up.

"Oh no, there's one more thing I would like" the Ox Princess stated.

The stabbing tone of her voice shocked Hercule a little.

"If its money, I can regularly give you some so you can live comfortably" he said, hoping that would be it.

Chi Chi shook her head, a small smirk appearing on her face.

"No, that's not it" she began to speak as she walked towards the slightly disturbed Mr. Satan.

"I'll be honest, originally I wanted to out you so my Gohan could get what he deserves but I think I have a better plan."

Mr. Satan took a big gulp.

"What is it?" he asked uneasily.

"You have a daughter around the age of 10, right?" Chi Chi asked, the smirk growing wider.

"Uh… yea? What about my little Videl?"

"Perfect! My son is the same age! Yes this will do just fine. I've seen her on TV and she's quite pretty."

Mr. Satan was confused.

"I'm not quite sure I follow" he asked, his expression growing more and more strained. What did this woman want with his Sweet Pea?

"Considering that the majority of your fortune is rightfully my Son's. I have thought of a way to make sure he gets what he deserves."

'Oh no' Piccolo thought 'I should have known she would try something like this.'

Mr. Satan took another gulp.

"And that is?"

Chi Chi's smirk turned into a full smile as she clasped her hands together.

"I want you to betroth your daughter to my son."

Hercule blinked.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?" he asked.

Chi Chi frowned at him.

"I want your daughter to marry my son when they both turn 18."

All of a sudden, the fear Hercule had towards the Ox Princess disappeared and a wave of what we call "Overprotect Father Syndrome" came over him.

"Now listen here! My Videl isn't just going to be married to any scrawny little boy! She's not allowed to date! No boy is allowed to even think about my little girl unless they can beat me!" he screamed.

Chi Chi began to laugh.

"Now what's so funny? This is my Sweet Pea we're talking about" Hercule fumed.

Chi Chi's tried to stifle her laughter at the man's choice of words.

"You said no boy unless they can beat you. I think you're forgetting who my son is" she responded.

Hercule stopped in his tracks. She was right. This wasn't just any random boy. This was THE Delivery Boy. The one at the age of 10 that had beaten one of the strongest and vilest of all calamities on the planet. Not to mention that Videl already had an annoying obsession with the lad. Still, it was the principle that mattered and he wasn't just going to give his daughter away to anyone, no matter their accomplishments. Chi Chi could notice the internal battle he was having with himself, comparing the pros and cons of this arrangement.

"I know you're probably worried" she said "But my Gohan isn't just strong. He's already studying at a college level and is one of the smartest kids around. Plus he's compassionate and kind and simply an angel!"

Hercule's resolve had begun to relent, that did sound good enough for his little girl.

"I know but… this isn't just anything. This is my little princess" he responded.

Chi Chi smiled.

"Think of it this way. It's almost a compromise. My Gohan eventually inherits the money and riches that he deserves for what he's done if he marries Videl and…"

Hercule shuddered at the 'and' but Chi Chi continued paying no attention to him.

"Marrying Gohan will eventually make Videl what you just called her. A Princess."

Hercules eyes widened. She was right. For a moment he had forgotten that he was at Mount Frypan, the seat of the Ox Kingdom and that before him was royalty. Thinking on it for a moment, he shrugged and relented.

"Fine" he said "But I do expect Videl to be treated like a Princess when it eventually happens."

"Of course! I didn't raise my Gohan to be some testosterone filled meat head" Chi Chi replied, almost a jabbing insult at the World Champion.

"I have one condition" Hercule stated.

Chi Chi raised her eyebrow at the man and let him continue.

"I don't want to rush this right now. They're still kids and they both have plenty going on in their life."

Chi Chi nodded in agreement.

"I agree, goodness knows my Gohan doesn't need any more distractions from his studies."

"Very well, as I said earlier, your son will need to attend and graduate from a High School for the University Scholarship. Then we can introduce them and move forward with this… arrangement."

"Fine by me. Do we agree not to tell them about this til then?" Chi Chi asked, stretching her hand out at the man in front of her.

Hercule looked at her hand and hesitated for a moment. He was just about to give away his daughter's hand in marriage before she had even begun puberty. He looked up at the Ox King and Piccolo who both had neutral expressions on their faces. After a few seconds he relented and shook the Ox Princess' hand.

"Agreed."

Before Hercule had left the Castle, he heard a deep voice call for him. Turning around, he saw the large figure of the Ox King walking towards him with a felt case in hand.

"Yes, Ox King?" Hercule queried

The Ox King waddled over towards him and opened the case. Inside were two matching bracelets made with some sort of red thread that was twirled in an almost cyclone like fashion. Connecting them was a silver badge with etchings in the metal. On both ends of the badge connected to the red thread were shiny rubies of a deeper red than the band.

"What are these?" asked Hercule

The Ox King smiled as he handed one to Hercule.

"Consider it a dowry. Give it to Videl to wear as a sign of the betrothal."

"I thought we agreed not to tell them about that just yet?"

"Well you don't have to, you can just tell her it was a gift from an old King for her. I'll give the other one to my Grandson. Tell her to wear it whenever she can."

Hercule smiled as he took it. Videl wasn't one for jewelry.

"I'm not sure if she'll wear it to be honest. She's never been into things like this."

The Ox King laughed.

"Neither has my Grandson but I'm going to tell him this was his Grandmother's."

"And is it?"

"Well yea but it was also a dowry from our engagement. But my Grandson is quite sentimental at times so he'll like that. What will you tell your daughter?"

Hercule pondered for a bit before an idea came to his head.

"I could tell her that the old King gifted one to the Delivery Boy too. Kami knows she's way too invested in anything to do with him."

The Ox King laughed louder.

"That might just work. Good luck, Mr. Satan."

Hercule bowed slightly and made his way back to his car, bracelet in hand.

* * *

I have a few chapters typed up already but will be slowly uploading them so I have something to post as I go along. Feel free to post reviews on what you think and how I could improve.


	3. Chapter 3 - High School Beginnings

**Chapter 3: High School Beginnings**

Seven years had passed since the meeting at Mount Frypan Castle. Chi Chi had begun to go ahead with her plan for Gohan. The first step: getting him into High School which wasn't all that hard to be honest. Despite being a public school, Orange Star High did have a higher academic average than most high schools in the area. Gohan was asked to sit an entrance exam and as expected of him, he completely aced it. In a quarter of the time that he was allotted. Suffice to say, the Principal and School staff were both shocked and impressed. So impressed that they wanted him to start that coming week instead of having to sit through all the paperwork and downtime of sorting out his education needs.

"WAKE UP BIG BROTHER!" a voice rang as the door to Gohan's room flung open.

A young boy with gravity defying hair began to jump on the bed and its occupant who groaned under the hyperactive kid.

"Ugh, Goten please" the quilt covered mound complained.

"Nah uh Gohan! Mum says you have to get up. It's your first day of school!" replied Goten.

Gohan's eyes shot open, forgetting what today was for a second as he jumped out of bed, almost sending his younger brother through the wall.

"Hey do that again, Gohan!" said Goten, who seemed to have fun with whatever physical activity he was doing.

"No can do!" replied his older brother "I have to get ready for school. We can play when I get home, squirt."

Goten nodded excitedly.

"Okay Gohan! But Mum says you have to come get breakfast now."

Goten raced off through the open door and down the stairs as Gohan began to dress himself. Picking the baggiest clothes he could find in his closet, Gohan bolted towards the kitchen, half expecting his younger brother to have already started breakfast. He was shocked to see Goten sitting at the table diligently waiting for the elder Son.

"Took you long enough!" Goten whined "Hurry up so we can eat!"

As soon as Gohan sat into the chair, Goten began to eat like a man who hadn't eaten in 5 days. To anyone who hadn't seen Saiyans eat, this would be a shock but not to the Son matriarch who had grown used to it ever since she met and married Goku all those years ago. Sighing as she sat down to join her two sons eating she looked up towards the ceiling.

'Our two boys are growing up, Goku' she thought 'I just wish you were here too to see them.'

A few minutes later she glanced at the clock and saw that Gohan only had 40 minutes to get to class. It would take almost half an hour on Nimbus to get to school and she did NOT want him to be late on his first day.

"Gohan! You better get going, it's almost late" she yelled.

Gohan who was in the middle of chewing almost jumped out of his seat as he looked at the clock. He swallowed the rest of his food, grabbed his bag, attached his school badge and kissed his Mother on the cheek.

"Okay I'm going! You be good with Mum now okay Goten?" he said as he walked out the door before calling for his Nimbus cloud.

"Yo gotted Gohn!" Goten responded, mouth still full of food.

"Swallow your food before you talk, Goten!" could be heard from the distance as Gohan sat on the Nimbus cloud, growing further and further away from the Son Household.

Chi Chi smiled as she wiped her younger son's face.

20 minutes had passed and Gohan was just reaching the outskirts of Orange Star City, now called Satan City after the World's Saviour. Gohan groaned and rolled his eyes as he saw a massive billboard with the Champ's face plastered on it, welcoming everyone to his city.

 _'Man, they really had to name everything after him.'_

It was no secret amongst the Z Fighters that they did not like Hercule Satan. He was loud, brash and had claimed the credit of Gohan's victory over Cell. A year after the Cell Games, close to the anniversary, Gohan had almost wanted to come out and prove the world wrong about Mr. Satan when Piccolo dissuaded him. Even his mother who had always said that Gohan deserved what Mr. Satan had received from the Cell Games told him not to. Gohan at first wondered why but came to understand and respect their decision. He was still young and didn't need his privacy invaded, especially with his Mum having just given birth to Goten. He was never one for attention and he certainly didn't want all that money Mr. Satan had. He wouldn't know what to do with it. He simply wanted to just shut that loud man up for a while.

Gohan's deep thought was suddenly interrupted by gunfire. Looking down below him he saw four policemen crouching beside their over turned sedans, taking fire from a group of robbers shooting them from the bank across the road.

 _'Satan Bank, go figure it's named after him'_ Gohan mentally groaned.

He surveyed the scene as Nimbus began to slow down. He could easily leave and continue on his way but something inside him told him to go help. The Police looked like they were in dire need of help. But how to hide his identity? It wasn't like he had any masks or helmets to cover his face.

' _I guess I could go Super, that might be enough to hide who I am'_ Gohan contemplated.

With a quick flash of light, Gohan powered up to the base form of Super Saiyan and descended down to the crime scene. He landed beside the robber who seemed to be giving the most trouble.

"You shouldn't be doing this" Gohan said in a deep voice.

The sudden appearance startled the thief and he soon turned his sub-machine gun towards the newly arrived golden nuisance.

"I should be doing this though!" he retorted as he opened fire.

With the same speed that the bullets came at him, Gohan had caught every single one before they reached him. The Super Saiyan transformation had always given Gohan a bit more of an arrogant flair, more so when he ascended to the second level. It wasn't one he was particularly fond of considering his memories of it but at this level, he could be fine.

"Wh… what are you?" the thief panicked as a sly smirk appeared on the Golden man's face.

Gohan held out his hand and dropped every single bullet he had caught before smacking the man with the same hand, launching him into a nearby wall. His companions had seen this and panicked, rushing towards their getaway car.

"Let's get outta here, man! That guy's a freak" one of them cried.

The car spluttered before taking off with incredible speed. Before it could get too far, Gohan raised his arm up and thrust a hidden wave of Ki at the vehicle, throwing it off balance and crashing it onto the sidewalk. Once he saw that all the robbers were incapacitated he looked towards the closest Cop.

"You'll take it from here?" Gohan asked.

The cop simply nodded with his mouth agape. Gohan took this as his cue to leave and flew up in a blinding flash of light before landing in a close by alleyway. Noticing that no one was nearby, he powered down before making his way out and looking back at the crime scene which by now had attracted quite a bit of attention.

"Hey!" he heard a voice behind him say.

He turned around to see a young woman, probably around his age but much shorter glaring at him. She had a baggy white t-shirt on and tight black bicycle shorts underneath. Gohan looked up at her face which was framed by two long pigtails clamped at the bottom by golden bands. What he noticed most was her blue eyes. They were almost the same colour as the sky was at Mount Paozu on a clear sunny day.

'Wow' he thought, his mouth opened slightly.

"Hey!" she heard him say again, knocking him out of thought "I asked you a question"

Gohan blinked a few times.

"Oh sorry I zoned out, what was it?"

"I asked if you saw what happened here?" she asked pointing to the crime scene.

Gohan shook his head.

"Oh no sorry, I just got here and was wondering what the commotion was about too" he stated.

"Pfft, typical" the girl groaned as she walked past him.

Gohan took off, not wanting to be anymore later than he was. He still had about 8 minutes to get to school and had to rush if he wanted to make it on time. The girl meanwhile inspected the crime scene closer. One of the bank workers noticed her and approached her.

"Oh hey Videl, did you see it? It was amazing" he asked.

Videl shook her head.

"No I just got here, what happened?" she queried

"Well he just came out of nowhere. It was amazing. He took out all the robbers almost in one fell swoop and before the car could get away, he took that down too!"

Videl's raised her eyebrows in disbelief

"I know it sounds crazy but that's what I saw" the bank teller continued "It was almost like those guys from the Cell Games, you know with the tricks!"

This caught Videl's attention. The guys from the Cell games? Perhaps it could have been him.

"Tell me, what did he look like?" she asked, almost too excitedly.

"Okay okay well let's see. He had a white shirt, looked a bit too baggy to be honest. He had a black vest over it and orange pants. Oh! And he was wearing the same badge you have there."

The man pointed at the Orange Star High badge Videl had pinned to the bottom of her shirt.

 _'All the students have to wear this badge'_ Videl thought before asking more questions.

"Okay so he probably goes to my school, what about his face? What colour was his hair?"

The man thought for a second, trying his best to think of the optimum way to describe it.

"Well it was like blonde but was almost like… glowing gold. He was like a Gold Fighter."

"Glowing gold?!" Videl asked.

The man nodded.

"Yea, it looked blonde but didn't look natural. Like I said, it was glowing gold. His eyes also seemed really unnatural. Almost like the colour of the water by a tropical island."

 _'It can't be… is it him?'_ Videl began to wonder.

She thanked the man and began heading towards school. Along the way she started to gather her thoughts of this morning's events.

 _'So a guy from my school comes in and does the job I was called out to do against those bank robbers so he must have some sense of justice. He's from my school and was glowing gold. It… it must be him. He's probably around my age so the description probably fits.'_

She turned around the bend and reached her high school with definite intent on her face.

 _'He hasn't been heard from in years. If he's here, I'll find him. I'll find you, Delivery Boy'_ she stated with resolve.

* * *

 _'Did they have to make these corridors all look the same? How does anyone get by here'_ Gohan complained in his head.

The lady at the front desk had given him his schedule and that was it. No direction to anywhere. She had left Gohan to his own devices and instead continued to file her nails absentmindedly.

 _'4C… 4C… where is 4C?'_ Gohan pondered as he walked through the corridors of the 4th floor.

Finally he had reached the classroom he needed to get to and knocked on the door. An old man with grey hair and half rimmed glasses opened the door and inspected Gohan.

"Ah! You must be Mr. Son. I've heard about you" he said.

Gohan nodded.

"That's me" he replied "Sorry I'm late, sir. I got lost and the lady at the front didn't really help me with directions."

The teacher waved his hand dismissively.

"Ah that's fine, Mrs. Eris was never all that attentive anyways" he said with a welcoming smile "I'm Mr. Preston, I'll be your homeroom teacher for the year."

He extended his hand out to Gohan who extended his own hand and shook it.

"Alright so before I let you in, just a few things I want to let you know. This room won't just be your homeroom but almost all your classes will be here except for PE and any lab related classes you choose to take. Electives will be on the floor above us too should you choose to take them."

Gohan nodded. There was one elective he had been interested in and that was Advanced Sciences. Sure he had learnt probably everything that this school's curriculum would teach but that didn't mean he had to ease through it. Might as well find something he was interested in.

"Okay, let's get you introduced, my boy. I'll talk to the class and then you can come in" Mr. Preston said before walking back inside leaving Gohan at the door.

The class had been chatting away whilst their teacher had been at the door, talking to someone they couldn't see. Up on the 5th row of seats, a girl with blonde hair and green eyes turned towards her two friends sitting beside her.

"Sharpner, Videl did you guys hear?" the girl asked.

Sharpner raised an eyebrow at her as he reclined in his seat. Videl shook her head.

"Hear what, Erasa?" Videl asked.

"We have a new student, I heard he's really smart and he's a cutie too!" Erasa stated.

Videl rolled her eyes. Was looks all Erasa cared about. Sharpner on the other hand chuckled. This new kid was probably some loser nerd that wouldn't last a day in this school. Before they could continue their conversation, Mr. Preston had returned to the front of the classroom.

"Alright listen up class" he boomed "We have a new student today, it's his first day so I want you to treat him well, okay? Come in, Gohan."

He motioned Gohan in who sheepishly walked towards him, trying to avoid the glances and stares the class was giving him. Mr. Preston however continued to talk about Gohan.

"Gohan here aced his entrance exam in record time, getting 100% of it right" he bragged.

Gohan cringed a little as shouts of "nerd!" and some less than savoury insults were thrown his way.

"Settle down!" yelled Mr. Preston "I was hoping that his presence here might actually inspire some of you to try harder for once."

The old man turned to Gohan.

"Why don't you tell us a bit about you, my boy."

Gohan nodded.

"Well, not much to say about me I guess. I'm Gohan Son, 17 years old and uh to be honest, this is my first real school so I hope we can get along."

He grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand as a group of girls on the other side of the room cooed at him.

"Aw he's so adorable."

"He's not just cute but smart!"

"I wonder if he could do my homework for me, I'll be sure to make it worth his while."

The last comment caused Gohan to shudder a little.

"Okay that's enough, pipe down! Why don't you find a free seat somewhere and we can get started" Mr. Preston said to Gohan.

"Yoohoo!" called out a voice from the 5th row.

Gohan looked up to see a pretty girl with short blonde hair wave to him.

"You can sit here, cutie" she said almost dreamily.

Gohan nodded and began to walk towards the seat.

"Well alright, thanks" he said as he sat beside her with a smile on both their faces.

"Nice to meet you, Gohan. I'm Erasa" the girl said introducing herself "Behind me is Videl and over there is Sharpner."

Gohan absentmindedly acknowledged both with a small smile and turned to face the teacher who had begun to talk about the History of the Eastern Kingdoms.

"Hey Gohan, do you know who Videl's Dad is?" Erasa asked him.

"Videl's Dad?"

Gohan turned to face the person seated beside Erasa. To his surprise it was the girl who he had met earlier after the incident with the Bank robbers. Trying to contain his shock, he tried to play off whatever he noticed.

"I didn't know we were supposed to know stuff about classmate's parents" he said.

Erasa giggled. Gohan seemed to be so innocent and unaware of Celebrities. Even Sharpner chuckled a little at the new kid's lack of knowledge.

"No silly. She's Videl Satan. Hercule Satan's daughter!" Erasa said.

Gohan's eyes opened a little as he looked at the girl sitting between Sharpner and Erasa. Videl rolled her eyes and faced the front.

'Great, here's where they all say oh my god Mr. Satan's daughter! Can I have her autograph?. It's all they ever want from me.'

The fame that came with being the World Saviour's daughter had begun to wear on Videl over the years. At first she found it cool that she had been getting a lot of attention but soon after she had learnt that people only wanted to get close to her because of who her dad was. Her only real friends she could truly say were Erasa and Sharpner who had known her before the Cell Games. They were the only ones who had paid her any attention beforehand.

"Huh really?" she heard Gohan say "She doesn't really look like him."

Videl's eyes widened as she looked back at Gohan who seemed to be studying her. This wasn't the reaction she had been expecting.

"What do you mean?" asked Sharpner.

"Well, I figured someone like Mr. Satan would have a kid that had the whole curly hair look, you know?"

Erasa began to giggle.

"Oh Gohan you're silly" she said "No, Videl looks more like her mother but I see what you mean!"

Sharpner raised his eyebrows at the new boy. He was definitely unique.

"You're in the presence of the World Champion's daughter and all you can talk about is why she doesn't have curly hair like her old man?" he questioned.

"Sharpner!" Videl yelled through gritted teeth.

This was embarrassing enough for her. She turned back to Gohan who was pondering a response.

"Well I don't know" he began "Videl's Videl I guess and Mr. Satan is Mr. Satan. Sure it's cool to be the kid of someone famous like him but she's just Videl here right?"

This response shocked Videl greatly. She was too used to everyone trying to get on her good side and kissing up to her as soon as they learned who she was. But something was different about this guy. She began to look at him.

'Doesn't look anything special. Baggy white shirt, probably to hide whatever scrawny body he has under there. Orange pants… wait Orange Pants? And a black vest!'

"Hey, you were the guy I saw earlier, huh?!" she exclaimed.

"What do you mean, Videl?" asked Erasa who had been playing her own game of head tennis, turning her head between Gohan and Videl back and forth.

Had they met before hand?

"Yea, I saw Gohan at the Bank before school. You know, where they said those robbers were?" Videl answered.

"Oh that! Wow, did you see the Gold Fighter?" asked Erasa.

"Gold Fighter? Who's that" Gohan wondered.

"Oh right, you've just gotten here so you haven't heard the Gossip yet. Rumour is that this Gold Fighter showed up out of nowhere and took out all those robbers. He was wicked strong and fast and looked amazingly handsome with his Golden hair too!" Erasa stated.

Videl nodded, agreeing with all those points except maybe the last one. Well maybe she'd agree with the last one too if it was in fact the Delivery Boy they had been talking about.

"They also said" Videl began "that he was wearing a white shirt, a black vest and orange pants. Notice anything like that?"

Videl eyed the new kid and noticed Gohan's expression changed, almost sheepishly lowering himself into his book.

 _'Yikes, I didn't know they had a name for me yet and worse, I was too obvious.'_ Gohan thought.

Erasa looked Gohan up and down and almost shouted.

"Oh wow Gohan, you're wearing like the exact same thing the Gold Fighter was said to be wearing today! What are the odds of that?"

Gohan laughed nervously.

"Ahah what are the odds indeed. I guess he has the same fashion sense as me" he weakly said.

Sharpner started laughing.

"Sure if the Gold Fighter dressed like a massive nerd."

"Mr. Penstoll! Ms. Rubiere! Ms. Satan! Mr. Son! Is there anything you would like to share with the class that's more entertaining than my lesson?" the teacher yelled at them.

"No sir!" they all replied in unison.

"Good, now pay attention!"

They soon quieted down and began focusing on the class topic but one student couldn't focus on anything else. Videl glanced over at Gohan who seemed engrossed in whatever he was reading.

 _'At the moment he's my only lead on this Gold Fighter. But, there's no way he could be the Delivery Boy too. I'll need to investigate this more'_ she thought as she looked down at her left arm. She tugged down the glove to reveal a familiar red bracelet wrapped around her wrist and smiled at it.

* * *

Author's Notes  
I know this part of the story has been done a million times but I figure it's kind of necessary at least to introduce characters without saying "oh yea and then he met so and so" and skipping right ahead.  
Also sorry Zamrok but I had already written up this and another chapter before posting so there will most likely be no Bojack (might see if I can fit him in later but probably not)

I'm trying to stay at least a chapter or two ahead before updating that way I should have some content to post even when I get some writers block and slow down on the updates.  
Thanks for reading so far and be sure to put in some reviews! Most writers will agree that it helps keep them motivated


	4. Chapter 4 - A Little Bit of Gohan

**Chapter 4: A Little Bit of Gohan**

Class seemed to go by so slowly for Gohan. Not only did he already know everything they had been learning by the age of 10, he wasn't used to being around so many people who seemed to be all in their own little worlds, conversing with each other under hushed whispers. What made it worse was that he could feel a pair of eyes constantly glancing his way every few minutes. Every time he looked that way, the girl in question simply moved her face away whether towards the front of the class or down at her open book. One time he even noticed her fidgeting with the glove she wore on her left arm. Maybe it was becoming uncomfortable?

The class bell soon rang for the start of lunch. Gohan was hoping that he could find a quiet spot to sit down for some peace while he ate. As he sat down underneath an oak tree that overlooked the fields behind the school he looked around at the students that had scattered amongst the grass. They were all in their own little groups, having fun and talking amongst each other.

 _'That must be nice'_ he thought to himself as he opened up his lunch box, silently dying inside at how small the meal was compared to his usual.

Gohan had never really had friends his own age. The majority of his friends were either his Dad's friends who were much older than him or the three young kids that the Z Fighters had. While he adored Goten, Trunks and Marron it wasn't quite the same since they were all at least 8 years younger than him. The only friends his own age was a young girl he met a long time ago named Lime and Dende, the Guardian of the Earth but it wasn't exactly like he could bring God down to hang out, considering the Namekian's responsibilities.

This was one of the reasons why his Mother had him sent to school. Not only would it allow him to graduate so he could get a College scholarship but perhaps he could make a good friend or two while he was there. He didn't want a lot of friends. Just someone he could get to know and experience just a little bit of the childhood he so sorely missed out on. While he was deep in thought, a trio of figures walked over towards him, curious about the new kid. Well, at least one of them was, or maybe two.

"Hey Gohan!" a feminine voice called out.

Gohan looked up to see the blonde girl who had invited him to sit down beside her during class. Behind her stood the tall and physically imposing Sharpner who seemed to be annoyed about something. On her other side was Videl, the daughter of Hercule Satan. Gohan was unsure as to what to make of the group that had just approached him. Erasa, though seemingly ditzy and wasn't all there up top seemed nice enough. Sharpner looked like a stereotypical muscle head that cared more about his appearance and the opinions of the ladies.

Videl however seemed like such a mystery to Gohan. An almost permanent scowl graced her face, scaring the majority of students who were unlucky enough to get in her way. And yet there was something that drew Gohan to her: her eyes. They were one of the most beautiful things he had ever seen. She noticed that he was staring into her eyes and turned her head away, a slight red tinge appearing on her cheeks. Snapping out of his trance, Gohan began to greet the three.

"Oh hey Erasa, nice day out yea?" he asked.

"Yea it is. We thought we'd join you. Do you mind?"

Gohan nodded and motioned them to sit beside him. Erasa quickly plopped herself beside him with Videl on his other side and Sharpner across from him, still looking annoyed that he had been dragged there.

"I don't know why you want us to sit with this nerd" he growled.

Erasa smacked his arm and furrowed her brows at the jock.

"Oh come on, he's just new. I'm sure he's not that bad" she said before turning her attention to Gohan "So, tell us more about you."

"What do you want to know?"

"Well, you said this was first School you've been to. Where do you live that's so far from a school?"

Gohan pondered whether or not to answer truthfully. Would they think him weird for living so far away? He guessed maybe there wouldn't be an issue.

"Down by the foot of Mount Paozo, in the 439 District Area."

The trio's eyes widened at how far he lived from the City.

"What the fu- that's like 4 hours away by car!" exclaimed Sharpner.

Even Videl was shocked. That trip would've taken her 2 hours in her current jet copter, maybe 1 and a half using the top line Capsule Corp jets.

"Why would you come all the way here for school then if it takes that long?" she asked.

"My Mum says she has a scholarship lined up for me for Orange Star University but their condition was I had to graduate from a high school and this is the closest one for me."

"Wow, you're only starting school now and you already have a scholarship from probably the Second Best University in the World? That's amazing" Erasa said in awe

Sharpner nodded.

"Yeah, I'm like one of the best baseball players in the High School scene and I haven't even gotten any scholarship offers yet. How'd you manage to score that? Just test scores alone?"

Gohan shook his head.

"To be honest, I guess so? I don't really know how my Mum managed to get that but she said they had someone who was impressed with me that they wanted to offer me a place there and our family jumped onto it."

Videl found this a little suspicious. She also had a scholarship waiting for her at Orange Star University but that was because of her dad. Over the years she had begun to distance herself from her father, hoping to get out of the World Champion's shadow and be known for her own achievements. She hadn't made up her mind on what she wanted to do after school yet but knew that she wanted to help people somehow in a way that Videl Satan could, not as Hercule Satan's daughter. University would have just been an easier pathway to that.

What didn't add up in her mind was how this Gohan kid already had a scholarship lined up and he didn't really know how he got it. It would have been obvious if it were on his academic scores as he was said to have aced his entrance exam in amazing fashion but that couldn't just be it. He would have to have done more at school to do so. Maybe he had some sort of rich benefactor who pulled some strings for him? The situation would have been a bit like her own but everyone knew that she basically had her life made easy for her being the World Champion's daughter.

She eyed the new youth who continued to eat his meal while her two best friends were conversing amongst themselves. Taking a bite of the sandwich in her hand, she began to study Gohan. He didn't look like much. His clothes were pretty baggy making it hard to determine what sort of body type he had. She moved up to look at his face. His hair almost seemed to defy gravity save for a lone lock that flickered between his eyebrows and yet she couldn't tell if he used some sort of amazing gel or wax to keep it up. His eyes were incredibly black, almost like the colour of charcoal. They seemed to hold much more emotion than Gohan seemed to let on. There was a kindness to them that she noticed and yet somehow also a bit of sadness and fear. And yet, they were oddly entrancing. As if they told a story that she would be desperate to hear.

Erasa had been glancing over at Videl every now and then while Sharpner talked about the most random things that came to his mind. When it came to gossip and keeping tabs on the ongoings of the Orange Star High students, Erasa was queen. And what she saw now was that Videl couldn't take her eyes off the new kid. A small smirk graced her lips as she turned back to Sharpner to continue listening to him talk about baseball. Or was it working out. She forgot.

Gohan continued to eat his lunch at the slowest pace he knew how. He figured that he'd have a better time making friends if he didn't eat at his normal Saiyan pace. What he couldn't shake off was the feeling that he was being watched. He looked up to see Videl nibbling at her sandwich, her eyes locked on him. For a moment all seemed to go by so slowly as onyx black stared into cerulean blue. Noticing that it was a little bit uncomfortable, Videl broke contact and turned away as the bell rang to signify the end of lunch.

"Come on, Erasa, we have PE" she said as she stood up, dragging the blonde with her as Sharpner and Gohan followed behind.

Erasa linked her arm around Videl, a playful smile on her face as the two boys walked behind them, talking more about Gohan's commute which Sharpner seemed interested about.

"So Videl, I saw where you were looking" Erasa asked.

Videl's cheeks began to flare red.

"Wh-what do you mean?"

"Well it seemed like you were staring holes into Gohan all lunch."

Videl began to shake her head. Videl Satan did not think of boys that way.

"No I'm just trying to profile him, you know. Make sure I know what he's like or if he's weird or not."

"Are you suuuure?" Erasa asked teasingly.

"Yes I'm sure!" Videl hissed back.

"Fine fine, I'm just playing with you" Erasa laughed "come on, let's go get changed for PE."

The duo walked into the girl's changing rooms while Sharpner lead Gohan to the boy's. Normally Sharpner wouldn't bother with dealing with nerds, especially ones who seemed to pay no attention The Legend of Mr Satan. He was the star pitcher for the Orange Star High Baseball team after all but after heading that Gohan would have to commute at least 2 hours every morning to get to school, he felt a bit bad for him. Not to mention he had a scholarship lined up already. Maybe the guy could get a good word in for him if they became friends. Or at least help him with his homework, Kami knows that Sharpner could use all the help he could get in the academic field of school.

"Dude, you're wearing that?" Sharpner asked as he saw Gohan walk out of the change rooms with the baggiest combination of a track pants and long sleeve shirt he had ever seen.

"What's wrong with it? It's comfortable" Gohan retorted.

Sharpner laughed.

"I guess, just don't get too embarrassed if you aren't as good as me at sports. That's Sharpner's time, baby!"

"Why are you calling me baby?" Gohan wondered.

"Uh… never mind let's just go."

The two boys made their way towards the rest of the class to find Videl and Erasa already there waiting with their coach.

"Alright guys, for those that don't know me I'm Coach Klein, Coach K for short. Since baseball season is coming around we'll be playing that and maybe if you're good enough you'll be able to join the tryouts. We'll do some drills in two teams and next time you'll play a game in those same teams."

Sharpner was chosen as one of the Captains, being the School MVP with Videl chosen as the other.

"Yo Brains, do you know how to play baseball?" he shouted at Gohan who stood beside another nerdy kid, the two being the last ones left to be picked.

"No not really."

"Damn, well I was gonna pick you but I guess not. Videl can have you."

"I don't want him though."

"Well too bad, I'm picking Biro" Sharpner said as he motioned for the kid standing beside Gohan.

"Guess that means I'm with you" Gohan said shyly as he walked over to Videl.

"Yea sure whatever, just don't get in the way I guess."

"Noted."

The class began to split off into smaller groups with a few kids simply throwing a ball between themselves practicing how to catch while a few others practiced batting. Gohan unsure of what to do walked over to Erasa who seemed to be in her own little world.

"Oh hey Gohan" she said as she noticed him walk to her "Don't know how to play?"

Gohan shook his head and laughed nervously.

"Not really. I have a friend that plays but he never really taught me much."

"No problem. I suck at sports too so I guess we can just throw the ball at each other."

She picked up a ball from a basket and threw it at Gohan who caught it.

"Wow nice catch, come on let's go."

Gohan followed her towards an open space and stood about 20 metres away.

"Alright, throw me the ball so it looks like we're doing something."

Gohan figured he would have to put as little of his strength as he could as to not hurt his new friend.

'Okay, just have to throw it as gentle as I can and not put too much attention on myself.'

He lifted his arm and tossed the ball towards Erasa. It went fast. Really fast. Erasa had barely enough time to lift her hand up to catch the ball as it barrelled into her unready hands. A loud thud was heard as the impact knocked Erasa off her feet and onto the ground.

"Oww," she said as she looked up at her hand to see a bit of blood coming out of her pinky finger "I think that chipped my nail."

"Oh my god I'm so sorry Erasa! I was so clumsy" Gohan wailed as he ran over to her to make sure she was ok.

A few other students noticed the commotion and looked over to see Gohan standing over a fallen Erasa who was clutching at her hand.

"It's alright Gohan, I guess I'm just really bad at sports hey" she said as she laughed it off.

"What happened?" a third voice asked.

Gohan looked beside him to see Videl who had come over to see what had happened to her best friend.

"Nothing!" Erasa said "I just couldn't catch Gohan's fastball and chipped my nail."

Videl peered up at Gohan who was rubbing the back of his head nervously.

"What did you do?" she asked him, almost demandingly.

"I just threw it is all!" Gohan answered nervously "I guess I don't know how to throw properly."

"It's okay" Erasa said standing up "I'll just go get this bandaged up, don't worry Videl."

The blonde girl skipped away as Gohan and Videl watched her. Does nothing really dampen that girl's mood? Videl turned back to Gohan.

"Ugh, I figured you wouldn't know anything but you could at least be careful!"

"I'm sorry, I guess I don't know my own strength."

Videl glared at him. She didn't seem all that convinced. How could someone that looked like a stereotypical nerd throw something that fast. She had noticed earlier that Gohan and Erasa were standing only about 20 metres away from each other before the incident happened. There was just something so odd about this kid. Gohan blinked nervously as Videl continued to interrogate him with his gaze. Boy this girl was scary.

On the other side of the field, Sharpner was having Biro throw balls at him while he swung. While he was the star pitcher, his batting could have used some work. Sure he could hit them hard and fast but his trajectory sucked. Biro threw a ball much faster than he had anticipated and Sharpner struck it with amazing force. He noticed that the ball was heading straight towards where Gohan and Videl were standing. And why were they standing so close together?

"Watch out!" he yelled to the two.

The loud voice started Videl and she turned as she saw a ball flying towards her, surely about to hit her in the face.

'Shit!' she thought as she closed her eyes to brace for impact.

…

The ball never came. She opened her eyes slowly to see an arm outstretched in front of her, the ball held still in the figure's hand. Videl followed the arm to find the boy in front of her had caught the ball seemingly with no trouble.

"Holy shit nice catch Brains!" yelled Sharpner.

Videl blinked.

'No way Gohan's reflexes were that quick to notice that when we had been looking directly at each other.'

"You okay?" he asked.

His voice was almost soothing, calming Videl's startled self. She sheepishly nodded as he smiled.

"Alright, guess I'll go give this back to Sharpner" Gohan said as he walked away.

Videl's eyes followed the boy who had been standing with her. What was up with him? He looked and acted like a typical nerd and yet he had caught that ball like it was nothing. Not to mention his voice seemed to have some sort of calming effect on her when she was startled. There was something incredibly different about Gohan and she just couldn't place what it was. But knowing herself, Videl Satan would soon find out who Gohan Son really was, no matter what it takes. It was just how she was.

The rest of the day seemed to go by much quicker as the end of the school day was signalled by the bell. Videl was surprised to learn that Sharpner and Gohan had quickly begun a quick friendship, talking about whatever came to mind. It was weird for most schools to have their Star Jock and the Nerdy New Kid becoming friends and yet Videl couldn't help but notice that Sharpner wasn't acting like his usual arrogant self around Gohan. He had even yet to attempt to hit on her, something he had done regularly the past few years. Maybe having another guy in the group would be good for him and keep his head away from the clouds.

Erasa of course being her natural friendly self, also became friends with Gohan. He seemed shy and a bit reserved but seemed comfortable enough with the two, not to mention his smile was incredibly infectious. Even the rest of their year seemed to be at ease around him save for a few stubborn jocks. The new kid just seemed to have a friendly aura to him. Videl wondered if this was how he really was or was this all a charade. Was he really just this friendly smart boy or was there more underneath the surface. She pondered to the time at lunch when she stared into his eyes. It was like there was so much more to Gohan than his high test scores and friendly smile.

Would she be able to learn more about that? It was hard to be a friend of Videl Satan. Everyone save for Erasa and Sharpner (okay maybe not Sharpner as much) seemed to either fear her or worship the ground she walked on due to being Hercule Satan's daughter. The main reason why she only really hung out with Erasa and Sharpner is because they knew her before Cell, before all the fame. Only they knew how she really was, the things she had experienced in the past, her likes and dislikes. Her obsessions and crushes.

Well, she only ever had one crush and it was on a kid she had never even met. Yet there was something about Gohan that both put her mind at ease and in a frenzy. Normally she would be able to categorize people in her minds. Jocks go here, bimbos go there, scene kids over there and nerds here. It was all arranged in her mind perfectly and yet Gohan, she couldn't seem to place, at least not yet. She would have to know more about him to do that. That is if he would let her.

Throughout the day she had learnt very little of the boy other than where he lived and his future scholarship. He was shy and seemed more interested in learning about others than talking about himself. That just made her want to know more about him altogether and soon she would make it her mission.

Learn more about Gohan Son and if possible, become his friend.

The quartet walked out the front doors as they began to wave goodbye to each other.

"I'll see you guys tomorrow" Sharpner said as he waved goodbye before he began to walk off.

"Yea see you."

 **BEEP BEEP BEEP**

Gohan turned to the sound to see Videl talking into a watch on her right arm.

"Go ahead, Chief" she said.

"We have a hold up at a convenience store on Sixth Avenue and could use your help. It looks a bit more than just a regular hold up"

"Gotcha, I'm on the way" she said as she threw her Jetcopter capsule on the ground "See you guys"

Videl jumped in the copter and sped away leaving a confused Gohan standing beside Erasa.

"Where's she going?" he asked

"Videl helps out the police around Satan City when she can. I guess you could say that she's like the City's Superhero."

"She does that at her age? What if she gets shot or if there's a bomb?" Gohan asked worriedly.

"She's fine, she's been doing it for 2 years now but I am a bit worried since they said it's more than a regular hold up."

Gohan's eyebrows furrowed as he contemplated going after her, maybe he could help. Erasa noticed the worried look on his face.

"She'll be fine, don't worry. I'll see you tomorrow" she said as she gave Gohan a small hug before making her way towards home.

Gohan watched her walk away before making his way towards the side of the school. Noticing no one around, he took off his vest and shirt to avoid being recognized and powered up to Super Saiyan. Throwing the articles of clothing into his bag, he sped up even more.

 _'Just need to make sure if she's okay'_ he thought as he flew towards Videl's Ki.

* * *

Author's Notes:

I figured that Sharpner always gets shoehorned into "the school rival" too often in GV High School fics and Gohan could definitely use a male friend his age that wasn't Dende so I've made Sharpner a lot nicer in this story. Not to mention that in this day and age, I don't think kids are so split between stereotypes but that could just be me being out of touch, I'm not sure I haven't been to High School in years.

Videl will also be a bit nicer compared to other stories that portray her as a massive bitch then suddenly "oh my god I love you Gohan". There's definitely going to be sparks of attraction in the future.

Erasa is Erasa.

Leave a Review and let me know what you think! Constructive criticism is always welcome.


	5. Chapter 5 - Flash of Gold & Hint of Red

**Chapter 5: Flash of Gold and Hint of Red**

Videl's Jetcopter sped through the city as she made her way to the crime scene. The chief had briefed her as she travelled. There were 4 people holding up a convenience store according to the Police, a little odd considering the circumstances. Usually something like this would involve one, maybe two perpetrators but four? That was a little odd. The chief also notified her that they had higher calibre firearms than as typical of a standard crook. Soon she had arrived at the crime scene and set her vehicle down on the edge of the western perimeter that the Satan City Police Force had set up.

"Good, you're here Videl" the Chief greeted.

"What's the situation?"

"We've got them held down with most of their attention facing Herc Street but they've got a machine gun firing down any time we try to get close."

The Police Chief then opened up a map and set it down on the hood of his cruiser.

"There's an opening here in the back alley that you might be able to sneak into, we'll provide some covering fire to make sure you can slip by."

Videl nodded as the man continued.

"Despite the fact that they have firearms, they don't seem to be very well trained and are either just firing blindly or stalling for time so we'll have to rush it before anyone can make a getaway."

With that, Videl tightened her gloves and made her way around the adjacent building as quietly as she could. Waving her hand at the Chief to signal that she was in position, she kicked open the door as the rest of the Police force distracted the three criminals firing at the front.

"Shit, it's the bitch!" one yelled as he noticed Videl storm in before he was taken down by a swift kick to the temple.

With a quick shimmy into a cartwheel Videl closed the distance between herself and the nearest crook. She roared as she wound her first and blasted the man's face with a powerful punch, a move she had learnt from her Father.

Videl hadn't trained with her Father in 3 years. She had started at quite a young age, 8 when she first started learning Martial Arts. By age 14 she had pretty much learnt all she could from her Father's Dojo and was considered a Master of the Satan Style Fighting Arts. She soon found that her fellow students weren't any match for her and desired to learn more. When her Father saw this, he began to teach her less and less until she barely came to the Dojo anymore, preferring more to train in their Mansion's private gym.

She had thought that her Father stopped teaching her because of how far she had progressed and had nothing more to teach her but in actuality, he was actually a little scared that his little girl was as strong as she was. At one point he even theorised that she could probably beat him in a fight as she was faster and more agile. He decided to distance himself from her Martial Arts learning to keep up the guise that he was still the most powerful man in the World, a fact that she was unaware of.

Since Hercule would no longer teach her and refused to allow any other Masters to, Videl took to watching old tapes and clips to learn moves and other styles. She was particularly interested in the tapes of the 21st, 22nd and 23rd World Martial Arts Tournaments. The fights she had watched were absolutely amazing. The more she watched of it, the more she began to think that her Father's claims of these fighters using 'tricks' to win faded away. She had particular interest in the fights of the Turtle and Crane Schools specifically Krillin, Yamcha, Chiaotzu, Tien Shinhan and her two favourites Goku and the woman he fought in the quarter finals simply known as Anonymous.

Carefully studying these tapes, she began to pick up on their moves and stances while combining it with her own Satan Style training as well as a few moves she had developed on her own. She had even picked up a few maneuvers from the days she spent obsessively watching The Delivery Boy's scenes in the Cell Games recording. Eventually the combination of all that she had learnt was put forth into a fusion style she aptly named 'Devil Style', an anagram of her name.

"Waste her!" yelled a robber as he turned to fire his gun at her but was caught off guard by the police's covering fire.

Videl took cover behind a counter and noticed the terrified clerk keeled over underneath, shaking and crying. She had a bloodied nose and a few bruises on her face and arms, clearly from the perpetrators. A feeling of pity and rage came over Videl as the poor store clerk murmured words to keep herself sane.

"Bring out the big shit" she heard another robber yell which was soon followed by a massive explosion.

Videl peered over the counter to see one of the remaining criminals reloading an RPG that he had reaimed at the police, effectively dispersing them in an attempt to get away from any blasts.

 _'Shit'_ she thought 'I need to stop that before it takes out anything else.'

Videl steeled her resolve to quickly take out the RPG wielding man until she was suddenly was stopped by the other criminal who held a gun to her head.

"I've got you now, bitch" he growled "step out, we're using you as a hostage."

Videl swore internally as she reluctantly made her way from behind the counter. The man with the gun kept it aimed at her head as he forced her to walk in front of her. There was no chance that any of the Satan City Police Force would fire at them and risk hurting Videl Satan, daughter of the World Champion.

"If any of you pigs want a shot, go ahead and take it! I'll blow your slut's head off" the man shouted.

The Police Chief looked at Videl with regret and nodded at his men to stand down.

The two criminals grinned at each other and began to load their getaway vehicle with one of them keeping an eye and a gun on Videl's head.

 _'How am I going to get out of this?'_ she pondered to herself.

She looked around her and noticed that the Police Force had begun to resign themselves to defeat and the eventual death of Videl.

'Shit this isn't how this should end' she began to internally cry.

Biding her time, Videl waited until the man holding his gun to her would be distracted enough so she could get away. The other problem she had was the man with the RPG who while still loading the getaway vehicle, had an annoying grip on the RPG. The big man seemed to hold it up with ease as he used his free arm to throw bags of money and cigarettes into the back of their truck.

"Hey Mongo, you done?" the man with the gun to Videl asked.

"Yeah I'm done, hurry up and get the bitch in so we can get outta here. Maybe the Boss will let us have some fun with her after."

Videl grimaced at the thought of being subject to the whims of these two men. She had to get out of there. As the man holding the gun attempted to push her into the truck, Videl bent downwards and kicked her leg out and up from behind her, striking the man between the legs.

"FUCKKKK" he screamed in pain as he dropped his SMG onto the ground.

Videl used this time to create more separation as the man with the RPG turned his attention towards her. There was no way she could guard herself from an explosion like that, especially at that close of a range. She had to get far away enough. Using her momentum, she bolted over the truck and towards the police force but she wasn't quick enough.

"DIE BITCH" the man yelled as he fired.

Videl shouldn't have but she turned around to face the incoming explosion. Silently she closed her eyes and a single tear streamed down her face as she accepted her fate.

 _'This is where I die'_

 **BOOOOOOOOOM**

The explosion went off and left a sizable crater where Videl had been standing.

"Serves you right" the goon with the RPG said as a giant smirk appeared on his face.

But as the dust and smoke began to clear, the smirk on his face disappeared. Where there should have been blood and seared body parts stood two figures, one wrapped around the other.

 _'Am I dead?'_ Videl wondered.

She dared not open her eyes yet but she felt something around her. It felt warm and soothing, like it was filling her up with energy. The energy danced within her and seemed to fill her with not just power but hope. As her ears settled from the ringing, her senses began to sharpen and she noticed that it was a pair of arms around her. Strong arms. Videl slowly opened her eyes and was met with the view of a man's shirtless chest. A perfectly sculpted chest which seemed to have minimal body fat and was covered in faint scars that she could barely make out. Had taken her out of the explosion line just in time? There's no way anyone could be that fast. She glanced downwards to see they were standing in the middle of a cater.

 _'No way.'_ she began to think 'this man didn't pull me out, he got in the way of the explosion.'

She began to lift her gaze up to meet the eyes of her saviour. Whoever it was must have been amazingly powerful. There were very few that fit the bill of someone who could survive an explosion like that. Her eyes began to take in the view before her. His chin was well defined and hairless, his lips weren't full like hers but had a faint sense of authority on them as if anything the man would then say would be taken upon as if it were the word of a king. His neck even seemed to radiate strength. Not large like a body builders who's neck and shoulder muscles seemed to puff up like a cloud but strong like a martial artist who had reached the pinnacle of their strength.

"It couldn't be..." she muttered.

True that only a few people she knew would possess the look and strength to protect someone from a situation like this. The fighters from the Cell Games. And she had an inkling of a feeling who her mysterious saviour might be. Finally she gathered enough strength to look into his eyes.

 _'It is.'_ she thought.

Staring directly at her were a pair of teal eyes. The teal eyes of a Gold Fighter. He was real and he was here. She wondered if it were another Gold Fighter or if it was the Delivery Boy she had so desperately obsessed over for the last 7 years. She had no longer kept pictures of him on her wall, nor have the screenshots she took of the Cell Games as her phone wallpaper. In fact, she had begun to talk about him less and less as the years went on. She had resigned herself to the fact that they would probably never meet. And yet today she had heard of his appearance, if it was him and filled her with renewed hope. This figure that had protected her was currently her best lead.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

Videl gingerly nodded.

"Good" the Gold Fighter said as a smile appeared on his face.

He let go of her and turned towards the two criminals who were shaking in fear. Where the hell did this man come from and how did he protect Videl from that explosion. The man who had previously held a gun to Videl quickly stumbled over and picked up the SMG from the floor and opened fire upon the Gold Fighter.

"EAT SHIT GOLD BOY" he shouted.

But as quickly as he shot the bullets, the Gold Fighter caught them in mid-air before throwing them at the feet of the now terrified criminal. As the Gold Fighter began to walk towards them, the man who had fired the RPG turned tail and began to run for it. Suffice to say he didn't get very far as the Gold Fighter caught up to him in the blink of an eye and struck the terror-stricken man with a forceful kick to the torso sending him flying into the getaway vehicle.

The man who had fired the gun at the Gold Fighter began to soil himself as the Golden Figure made his way back to him. He began crying loudly

"Take me in please! Don't hurt me."

A quick knock to the neck put the fearful man into unconsciousness. The Police Force meanwhile simply watched with their mouths wide open. That was two times in one day that this mysterious figure had taken out the criminals they were supposed to catch and yet they couldn't be mad. Without him, their favourite Videl would have been blown up. They owed him a lot of gratitude. The Police Chief especially was particularly grateful. Videl was almost like a daughter to him, with her helping out the Police Force at such a young age.

"They're all yours" the Gold Fighter said as he threw the limp bodies of the two criminals at the feet of the Police Chief.

"Thank you Gold Fighter" the Police Chief said.

The Gold Fighter nodded in respect and turned back to Videl who had yet to leave the spot in the middle of the crater. The Gold Fighter walked up to her, cupped her chin inside his left hand and began to examine her for damage. Videl's shaking began to stop. She had almost died today due to carelessness and had been bailed out by the Gold Fighter. She lift her hand up and held onto the wrist of the man who had saved her live as he smiled at her. Where she had expected to be smooth skin was anything but as she felt the odd bumps of a bracelet.

 _'What is that…'_ she wondered.

Her eyes looked down at the arm she was now holding to see a bracelet made of red threading connected by a silver pendant. It was exactly the same one that she was wearing. This confirmed the answer to the question she had been pondering over since that morning. The Gold Fighter WAS the Delivery Boy. He was here and he had saved her life. Trying to shake herself out of her stupor, she breathed out

"Th-thank you."

The Delivery Boy smiled at her and she took one last look into his eyes. Eyes full of strength yet held a deep sadness within them. A feeling she had noticed before but couldn't place where. Her mind was in complete disarray at the fact that her long time crush was not only standing before her but had protected her from certain death. With a courteous nod, the Delivery Boy let go of Videl and walked way before taking off and flying above a tall building and disappearing from sight

"Wow…" was all Videl could say.

As she began to walk towards the Chief for a debriefing, she noticed a strange logo on one of the bags that the criminals were using. She picked it up from the back of the truck and examined it closely. It looked almost like a cat but a big cat with large spotted markings surrounded by a red border. It seemed oddly familiar to her but with everything that had been going on today, her mind was a mess and she just couldn't place where she had seen this for. Taking out her phone from her back pocket, she took a photo for further inspection. Maybe it could be a clue to why common robbers would have such high grade weaponry.

* * *

Gohan made his way to the rooftop where he had hidden his bag. Quickly throwing back on his clothes, he flew towards Capsule Corp with an idea in mind. Hopefully Bulma could help him out with this. As much as he was told to not worry about Videl, he just couldn't shake it off his mind. Had he not been there what would have happened? Would she have died? He wasn't quite sure why he had felt the need to protect her. Maybe it was the sense of good and justice that his father had instilled in him growing up. Maybe it was because they were friends at school. Actually Gohan was unsure if they actually were. He could definitely say that despite their personality differences, Erasa and Sharpner were his friends. As unlikely as it seemed, they just clicked together. The only one of the group he had yet to really interact with was Videl and yet he felt this overwhelming need to look after her.

 _'She is quite beautiful'_ he thought _'and strong. Stronger than she thinks.'_

As Gohan landed at Capsule Corp, he readjusted his clothing as well as the red bracelet that was now hidden underneath his long sleeves. The bracelet was a gift from his Grandfather when he was 11. He had received it from the Ox King a few months after Cell's Defeat when he was in a slump. The Ox King had told him that his Grandmother had owned it and had made a second identical one made but the Ox King had sadly lost it. Gohan had always wished he was able to meet his Grandmother yet she died when his Mother was still young. Even Chi Chi barely remembered the Ox Queen. And yet having no experiences of her the Ox King stated that Gohan's Grandmother would have loved him regardless. That she would have been proud of the man Gohan had become. So he wore it almost every day as a memento to her.

"Input Entrance Code and ID Please" the robotic voice of the Gate Pad announced.

Gohan typed in both the entrance code and his own personal ID number 'ZF002'. As the gate opened he was greeted by a small child with lavender hair.

"Gohan! Gohan! Gohan! Are you here to play with me?" the boy asked in excitement.

"Sorry Trunks! Not today but this weekend I can take you and Goten fishing!" Gohan replied.

"Alright that sounds fun! Do you need to see my Mum or Dad?"

"Your Mum please, where is she?"

"She's down in her lab, you know the way. See ya Gohan!" Trunks said as he sped off to go back to playing with his toys.

Gohan entered the building and began to make his way down towards Bulma's personal lab, a place he had frequented many times in the past 7 years. With peace on Earth and a lack of need to train every day, Gohan was allowed to assist Bulma in her inventions and research whenever he wasn't forced to study by his mother. Other than training, it was one of the passions Gohan had that would allow his mind to get away from things.

"Oh Gohan! How was your first day at school?" Bulma asked as she saw the young man walk through the door.

"Hey Bulma, it was alright actually. A bit boring but I did make some friends which is nice."

"Oh? Well that's good. Tell me about them."

Bulma was incredibly fond of the young man. She was in fact Gohan's Godmother as she was Goku's oldest friend and Chi Chi's closest. Whenever Gohan visited, she was sure to pay him any attention he wanted, almost a bit more than her own family. She always saw Gohan as the Son she never had and visited Capsule Corp so often that he was basically family. In fact during Trunks' younger years, the boy had taken to calling Gohan "Big Brother" like Goten did until he was old enough to be told that Gohan wasn't actually his brother but more like a distant cousin considering Goku and Vegeta were the last known full blooded Saiyan's left.

In fact, Gohan even saw Vegeta as an Uncle sometimes, albeit a strange one that seemed intent on using the boy's visits as either training or eating time. While Vegeta always kept an air of superiority wherever he was, he always had a sense of pride in Gohan. Vegeta had been proud of Gohan's achievement of defeating Cell but held disdain towards Chi Chi's constant need to make Gohan study. A Saiyan should be fighting and when he wasn't fighting, he should be training for the next fight. Gohan while he trained mostly on weekends was not training enough to Vegeta's liking and the power gap that was between them before had closed considerably in the 7 years of peace that had passed. In fact, Vegeta had also achieved the Ascended Super Saiyan state. Now that Gohan had started school, Vegeta was sure to pass him in strength.

Gohan sat down on the chair across Bulma and began to talk about the three friends he made at school.

"Uh first I guess there's Erasa. She's nice enough but a bit of a ditz. Reminds me of you actually when it comes to fashion, just take away your genius level intellect. She's overwhelmingly positive and happy all the time from what I've seen which scares me a little but she's cool."

"Then there's Sharpner. He reminds me of Yamcha actually, always trying to look good, plays baseball too and he's really good. He doesn't seem to be all that smart but he said he'd look out for me at school so I like him."

Bulma nodded and laughed contemplating high school versions of herself and Yamcha but with the descriptions that Gohan had provided. She noticed Gohan paused a little when he was about to discuss the third friend he had made today.

"Finally there's Videl. I'm not really sure if we're friends but she's friends with Erasa and Sharpner so I guess we're friends by being in the same group. She's a bit scary to be honest. Strong and tough and has a habit of looking at me when she thinks I'm not looking actually."

"Sounds like she has a crush on you" Bulma laughed.

"No way" Gohan said nervously "I think she's just trying to figure out who I am."

"And who are you?"

"I'm Gohan but I think she just wants to know what I'm about. I'm not all that sure to be honest. Actually she's why I wanted to talk to you."

Bulma raised an eyebrow at the boy sitting across from her.

"Oh? What's this? Gohan wants girl advice from me already and only on his first day?" she teased.

Gohan began to panic and raised his hands in a submissive position.

"No no nothing like that!" he quickly stated "Did you know she helps out the Satan City Police?"

Bulma pondered for a minute. That did sound familiar.

"I heard that there was a girl that helped with handling crimes there but I didn't think she would be your age. Actually if I remember correctly the girl that helps out is the daughter of…"

"Hercule Satan, yea" Gohan interrupted.

Now this was definitely interesting to Bulma. Who would have thought that Gohan would consider being friends with the daughter of the man who had stolen credit over Cell's defeat.

"Now that is interesting. What do you need my help for with Videl then?" Bulma asked.

"Well, I had to step in to help her out with a robbery earlier. I think she might have died if I didn't show up" Gohan said.

Bulma figured it would be something like this as soon as she Gohan started the story of the young girl helping out the Police in dangerous cases. Gohan had too much of his father in him and he couldn't just leave someone to die when there was the power in him to protect. It just wasn't in his nature to stand idly by. Gohan took Bulma's silence to continue.

"I want to be able to help her but I don't want her to know it's me because I still want to fit in at school."

"I can make you a disguise if you want" Bulma replied "Maybe a device that changes your clothing at the press of a button?"

Gohan nodded. That sounded perfect. Bulma continued her train of thought.

"Maybe something that looks distinguishable enough so whoever sees you knows it you but will be able to keep you away from attention if you really want. Do you have something in mind, Gohan?"

Gohan pondered for a moment. He could go flashier if he really wanted with the outfit but maybe that might be a bit too dorky. His usual Gi was another option but that might make it too obvious for people to link him to the Cell Games. Well maybe that'd be too easy anyways considering how infrequent the sight of a Super Saiyan would be to the general public. Where else would they see something like that?

"Perhaps something like Saiyan armour? But different to Vegeta's so he doesn't get attention in case they notice him."

Bulma gave it a bit of thought, writing down some things on a nearby notepad.

"Alright I think I know what I can do, give me like an hour or two Gohan."

"Sure thing Bulma, I'll go play with Trunks for a bit then."

Gohan made his way back up to the main floor of Capsule Corp in search of Trunks. To his surprise, Vegeta's Ki was nowhere to be found in Capsule Corp. Gohan soon walked into Trunks room to find the boy playing on a console.

"Hey Gohan, want to play?" the boy asked.

"Sure thing, you're on. By the way where's your dad? I don't sense him here."

"Dunno. The past year he goes out once a month flying around the world for a day or two. I asked him once where he went but he just walked away. Might be some secret training thing he's been doing."

Gohan found this a little odd. Vegeta very rarely left the Capsule Corp complex for anything but if it had to do with training, it must've been good for Vegeta to get into it. Thinking nothing else of it, Gohan joined Trunks playing on the console while he waited for Bulma.

About two hours had passed when Bulma walked into Trunks room to look for Gohan.

"There you are! I've finished it" she said as she threw a watch to Gohan.

He quickly put it on his left arm and examined it. It looked like any regular digital watch save for two big buttons on the side and a Capsule Corp logo on the band. One of the buttons was red while the other blue.

"Press the red one" Bulma instructed.

Gohan nodded and pushed down on the red button. Within a second he was engulfed in a dim light that soon dissipated. He looked down to see his school clothes had been replaced by something that looked oddly reminiscent of Saiyan armour. Instead of the regular blue spandex that Vegeta wore, this one was black. The boots were also black with red lining at the collar. The tips of the boots were lined with gold and seemed denser compared to the rest of the footwear, a bit like a steel capped boot. While Vegeta's Saiyan Armour included a long sleeve shirt underneath the Chest Piece, Gohan's was completely without and only had the Chest Piece which was also black with white and gold lining. Guarding his hips were flexible protrusions that reminded Gohan a bit of the shoulder pads Gohan wore during his time on Namek. Wrapped around his arms were red wristbands that covered at least half of his forearms.

"Wow this looks amazing" Gohan stated as he began to stretch and test the flexibility of the armour.

It felt exactly like what he had worn before. Flexible enough for him to move around comfortably whilst providing him with enough protection from the elements or attacks. Not that he needed it. He was a bit peeved that the armour showed off his arms but he could get past that. At least he wouldn't need to be topless anymore. His thought drifted to earlier today when he had shielded Videl from that blast. The way that her eyes had dreamily studied his chest and features. What he wouldn't give to feel her soft hands glide down his ch-

'Gah don't even think about that' he mentally kicked himself.

"So I take it you like it?" Bulma asked trying to get the attention of the distracted boy.

"Yeah I love it. It's perfect, Bulma! Do I just press the blue one to change back?"

Bulma nodded and Gohan pressed the blue button, changing back into his school clothes. He then pressed the red one again to transform back into the other clothes.

"I think I'll fly in this so no one notices me" he said as he powered up to the base Super Saiyan level.

"Thanks a lot Bulma! I owe you one!" he shouted as he jumped out the window.

"God damn it I told him to stop doing that" Bulma sighed.

Saiyans had no concept of decent manners at times and she had hoped Gohan would be the exception. Alas, that was not the case. Trunks merely laughed as he continued to play on his console.

* * *

Inside the quiet mansion of the Satan Household sat a young woman on a giant bed. Videl had been sat there for almost 2 hours now just thinking about her ordeal earlier. Someone who had experienced something like she did would explore with all the different emotions that were raging in within her. Deciding that writing down her thoughts would be her best course of action, she took out a notepad and pen from her bedside table and began to scribble away.

 _Videl's Day, September 8_ _th_ _, Age 773_

 _I almost died today. Not like it hasn't happened in the past but I've always managed to get out of it somehow. I don't think anyone would have lived such a close range explosion like I did today but here I am, barely a scratch on me. I should be more shaken up about it but I'm not. Is it because of my strong resolve or is there something more?_

 _The Delivery Boy was confirmed to be the Gold Fighter today. He first appeared this morning to stop a Bank Robbery and was said to be wearing an Orange Star High badge so he must be a student._

 _He appeared again at the Hold Up this afternoon when he saved me. It was amazing to be in his presence. Not that I'm girly like that but there was just something about his aura that seemed both overwhelmingly frightening and fascinating. I thought I was getting over my little crush on him before but seeing him in action just left me in awe. I guess that will never go away. Note to self: don't tell Erasa_

 _There's a new kid at school today, Gohan Son. I'm not sure about him but there seems to be more to this kid than meets the eye. He looks like a typical nerd from the countryside but no nerd would be able to catch that fast ball that was about to hit my face. Not to mention he was wearing the same clothes that they said the Gold Fighter was wearing. It could just be a coincidence but I Videl Satan don't believe in coincidences and will need to learn more about Gohan. There's also something about his eyes that interest me. I'm sure there's a story behind the way he is. Note to self: don't tell Erasa, she might assume other things_

 _I almost forgot! The Gold Fighter/Delivery Boy was wearing that red bracelet. The same one I'm wearing. Daddy told me that when that Old King gifted it to him for me, the Delivery Boy was also given one. At first I thought it was just some silly story for me to get me to wear it since I never wear any form of jewellery but I kept wearing it with some stupid school girl mindset that the Delivery Boy wore it too. I guess I was right. I wonder what it signifies._

 _There was also a weird symbol on one of the crook's bags. Looks like some big cat. It definitely warrants further investigation. Maybe there's some weird benefactor funding small time crooks or maybe it's more. Can't be too careful. I better do some research._

With her thoughts written down, Videl felt her mind ease up a little. It sure was a hectic day today. Deciding to skip dinner, she lay down in her bed and began to doze off, hoping to dream something silly about the Delivery Boy. If only she could meet him again.

* * *

Author's Notes:

Thanks to everyone that's followed, favourited and reviewed so far. Means a lot.

To Mr. Me2, the thought had crossed my mind a few times when I was coming up with the idea and I'll be honest, with my hardcore GV shipping it sorta slipped my mind but I believe I've left enough of a leeway to work something around to fix that. Hopefully the reasons and story plot I'll be adding in terms of their betrothal being their only experience in romance will work well enough. Thanks for the constructive criticism though, I appreciate it. Big fan of your work too.

To Godel, thanks for the words of encouragement. I'll go through my previous chapters and try to fix up formatting too before I post the next one just to make sure it's easier to read.

In terms of Gohan's new Gold Fighter disguise, I had wanted to change things up and do away with the silly Saiyaman routines. As much as I love Gohan as a character, that shit was just way too dorky haha. The design of this outfit is based on Bardock's outfit with a few minor changes.

As always, make sure to leave a review if you're enjoying it so far.


	6. Chapter 6 - The Red Thread Story

**Chapter 6: The Red Thread Story**

It was midday in the Ox Kingdom and the weather was beautiful. The sky was clear and the birds were fluttering around the trees in the Castle's garden, whistling their happy tunes. Yet a solemn mood filled the air around a lone, large figure sitting alone on a bench by a small pond. The man was feeding the ducks he looked after there while he waited for his attendants.

"My king, the results have come through" a young woman announced as she made her way through the garden to meet the Ox King. She had a deep sadness to her voice and expression.

"Do not sugar coat it for me, Lime." the Ox King said "how long do I have to live?"

"2 or 3 years most likely. 5 if you're lucky but with what the doctor said that's highly unlikely. I'm sorry." she said with tears in her eyes.

"I see."

* * *

A month had gone by since Gohan started school. While he was still unsure if this was the right thing for him to do, his mother's wish of him graduating as well as the few friends he had made was worth it. While everyone knew that Erasa would definitely befriend anyone in the school, the school's populace was still in shock over how well Sharpner and Gohan got along. It was like it was against the nature of school hierarchy. The only ones in their quartet that weren't all that close were Videl and Gohan. Whenever Videl had tried to ask Gohan questions about himself he would always skirt around the answer or straight up avoid her. It was starting to get to the young woman. She was the type to want to know everything and it would eat her up a little inside when she didn't have the answers she wanted.

Whilst Gohan got along with the majority of his school year, there were a decent number of people who didn't like him. Quite a few jocks were jealous of him hanging around 'total babes' like Erasa and Videl, not to mention being in the good books of the Star Pitcher of Orange Star High. Even a few of the class nerds had a bit of disdain for him. He was supposed to be a nerd like them and yet he was hanging out with possibly the 3 most popular people in the school on a daily basis.

Gohan however was incredibly popular with the ladies though he wish he wasn't. On more than one occasion one of the preppy girls had cornered him propositioning him to do her homework for her in exchange for some… services. Whilst Gohan was oblivious to what it could mean, he felt extremely uncomfortable and the girls would continue to pester him until they were scared away by the timely arrival of Videl.

"Thanks for that" Gohan said with a sincere smile.

"No problem. But you do know I'm not going to do this shit for free" Videl said.

"What do you want?"

"Just some answers, for questions whenever I want."

Gohan sighed. He had been clever enough to avoid answering the majority of Videl's questioning but knew he couldn't hold it off forever. She was just too persistent. In fact, it was one of the qualities he had begun to like about her. Though it annoyed him at times and often caused him more grief than he would have liked, he admired her tenacity and willingness to try to get whatever she wanted. She was tough like that.

"Fine fine but on the condition that I tell you when I'm ready. There's a reason I don't tell people things and that's not just because I'm shy."

Videl flashed a winning grin at Gohan. Finally she was getting somewhere. She had three ongoing investigations in her mind that had been going nowhere the past month. First of course was trying to get Gohan to open up to her and tell her more about him. Not just for reasons of wanting to figure out who he was (and if he was really linked to the Gold Fighter) but also if he was trustworthy enough to be considered a friend. If he was going to hang around with them often, she needed to know that he wasn't just in it for the attention it could get him by being 'Videl Satan's friend'.

She often found herself glancing over him every now and then during class and on more than one occasion she caught him looking back at her. Sometimes their eyes would meet and they would enter what she would call their staring battles to see who would look away first. So far she was winning, at least by her count. She seemed to enjoy these little wins as much as she did trying to make Gohan squirm a little whenever her gaze would linger upon him. This past week though she found herself staring at him more and more, especially into his deep black eyes. There was something so mysterious yet familiar about them that kept calling her in to look. But as soon as she had stared enough she or Gohan would break contact and continue doing their schoolwork.

Second she had yet to find anything conclusive about the logo she found on that bag from a month prior. The only thing she had found out was that the cat in the image was a Jaguar. Not a Leopard due to the differences in spots and colouration however confusing that was for her at first. But other than that, no solid leads. A dead end for now until another opportunity presented itself.

Lastly, she still had the issue of the Gold Fighter. While there were plenty of jobs that the Satan City Police Force called her into, they weren't as explosive as that one incident, it gave her a good enough work out and was a great stress reliever. Standard store robbery, some crazy man causing trouble in a public area, that sort of thing. What did annoy her was when The Gold Fighter as the name stuck would swoop in and assist her whenever she seemed like she was having a bit of trouble. But just as quickly as he came in, he was right back out leaving Videl with no chance to talk to him or even examine her further. This left her greatly frustrated in more ways than one.

The school bell had rung for their next period so Gohan and Videl made their way to their History class to find both Erasa and Sharpner both sitting there already.

"Took you guys long enough and ugh Gohan, you really need some new clothes" Erasa complained.

Sharpner nodded in agreement as the late duo sat beside them.

"Yeah dude, you're cool and all but if you're gonna hang with us, you gotta at least get some new threads."

Gohan frowned. He didn't think there was anything wrong with his fashion sense. It was comfortable and not to mention hid his body from everyone else. If anyone saw that what he really looked like underneath those baggy shirts he would really be in trouble. Not just how physically fit he was but the faint scarring he had littered over his body from his past battles as well as the more pronounced one running alongside his left shoulder. At least most shirts would hide the majority of that scare.

"Ugh do I have to?" complained Gohan.

"Of course you do!" Erasa retorted "come on, we'll go shopping after school!"

Videl flinched at the sound of Erasa's statement.

"What do you mean we're going shopping?" she asked.

"Oh yea you're definitely coming too. Gohan's not the only one that needs some fashion work."

Videl sighed. She knew what it was like to go on these shopping trips with Erasa. The woman was straight up possessed when it came to the mall. Even Sharpner who was the frequent victim of her shopping sprees never grew used to it.

"Fine" Videl said as she resigned herself to a torturous afternoon "But I have to drop by home to do something."

"That's fine, we'll meet you at the mall then" Erasa said.

"Hey hey hey, I haven't even said I was going yet" Gohan complained, careful not to talk too loudly as to bring attention to them from the teacher.

"Well call your mother at lunch! Heck I'll even talk to her!" Erasa said, almost shouting.

"Ugh fine just… don't talk to her, she'll get the wrong idea.

"What do you mean by that?" asked Sharpner.

"She's uh… very interested in my err love life and the speed of which she'll be able to have grandchildren."

Sharpner started laughing as Erasa and Videl looked at each other with unease.

"Oh come on Gohan, as if she would think you would get with either Erasa or Videl. Not to mention Videl's already my babe."

Suddenly a pencil was jabbed into the blonde boy's hand and he winced in pain, trying his hardest to contain his scream of pain as to not alert the teacher who had been writing up some crap about the Ox Kingdom's history.

"Hey look, there's a pencil in Sharpner" Videl quipped.

Erasa and Gohan tried their hardest to stifle their laughter but it was too contagious and soon enough their History Teacher Mrs. Chang yelled at them to be quiet. As their laughter died down Erasa began to speak again in a whisper to avoid being heard.

"Well I for one think Gohan is quite the catch. He's smart, kind and funny. Not to mention just about every girl in our grade thinks he's absolutely cute."

Gohan blushed a little as Sharpner wondered if he was truly losing his standing in his mind as the number 1 most desirable guy in Orange Star High.

"Oh come on, he might be cool but he can't compare to these" he stated as he began to flex his bicep muscles.

"Well it may interest you to know that not all girls care about just who can lift the heaviest thing. Word got around the other week about Gohan having that scholarship already and a lot of girls are interested in a man that has a future and can look after them."

"So they're gold digging" Videl snorted.

"Is that what all the girls really think?" Gohan asked, wondering if that was why he was being hounded on the daily by a platoon of females.

"No no not all of us. I mean I think you're super cute too Gohan! You're a great guy" Erasa said, trying to comfort Gohan's female worries.

"I guess. Thanks" he said with a smile.

Erasa smiled back before her grin turned into a mischievous smirk as she pivoted on her seat to face Videl.

"And what do you think Videl?" she asked in a teasing manner.

This sudden question caused Videl to halt in her place as she pencil she had been using to copy notes down snapped in her hand.

"Oh my" Erasa laughed as Videl's cheeks began to grow increasingly red.

"He's um… he's okay, I guess" she managed to blurt out.

"Just okay?"

Videl sheepishly nodded and avoided facing Gohan. What was she to say? That she also found the boy from the mountains to be kinda cute even with how shy and awkward he was. But Videl Satan didn't think that way about boys. Well maybe one boy but he was a freak of nature that glowed gold and seemed to rescue her from trouble whenever needed. Gohan soon joined Videl in the red cheek department when he noticed her predicament. Why was Videl Satan of all people acting that way? Who knows, girls always confused him. Their conversation soon died down as Mrs. Chang began to address the class.

"Now since we're continuing with our study of the Eastern Kingdoms of the World, who can tell me a story or myth from one of these kingdoms?"

A few hands shot up, hoping to be picked to show off their knowledge. Gohan had always avoided having to answer when he didn't have to. He always felt a little bit uncomfortable whenever groups of people had their eyes on him. It was part of the reason why he had mostly kept to himself and only really talked with his three main friends. Not to mention he knew quite a bit of information about the Ox Kingdom as his Grandfather was still reigning as the Ox King. He could probably recount one of his Grandfather's many stories that he had told Gohan about his younger days, before he was labelled as a tyrant which wasn't even his fault considering his castle had been set on fire.

Since that fire had been put out by Master Roshi (and effectively destroyed the mountain too) the Ox King diligently began rebuilding his kingdom. When the mountain was cleared the workers discovered that there was an abundance of gold and gems deposited deep underneath Mount Frypan. With these new found riches and seemingly endless supply of wealth, the Ox Kingdom began to thrive eventually becoming an extremely successful kingdom. In fact it ranked just beneath the five "Major Kingdoms" of the world being the Central Kingdom, The Northern Kingdom, The Eastern Kingdom, The Western Kingdom and the Southern Kingdom. The Ox Kingdom had accumulated such wealth and gained much standing in the political landscape on the world that it was on par with two others collectively forming "Middle Kingdoms".

These Kingdoms were not as powerful or vast as the Major Kingdoms but were mighty enough in standing to place them above all other minor kingdoms and royal domains. On equal standing with the Ox Kingdom was the Mifan Empire located deep within the mountains of the North. The Ox Kingdom and the Mifan Empire enjoyed friendly relations and had many successful trade agreements between them as the Ox King and the ruler of the Mifan Empire, Chiaotzu were on good terms. The third Middle Kingdom "Sasebo" located at the very south of the world was a mystery to all foreigners and kept a strict isolationist policy. In fact, no one even knew if they still had a ruler as all Sasebo subjects were forbidden to discuss anything related to their royals. There was even a rumour that the Sasebo Kingdom had poor relations with both the Ox Kingdom and Mifan Empire but that was never proven.

Gohan began to sink in his chair to prevent the teacher from trying to pull a fast one on him and pick him to speak when she instead selected a girl sitting two rows in front of Gohan to speak. The girl who Gohan knew to be named Manila stood up to speak.

"My Grandma told me about this one legend that was from the Ox Kingdom. She said it was the most amazing thing she had ever heard of."

Gohan's ears perked up and had hoped that this wasn't about the Dragon Balls. As cool as a story that would be, the world certainly didn't need some chatterbox kid accidentally talking about it to potential bad guys who would want to abuse it.

"It's the Legend of the Red Thread of Fate" Manila stated.

Gohan breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe this story was just some random crap that had no meaning but as Gohan knew from his past adventures, almost anything was possible in this universe. Mrs. Chang nodded to allow Manila to continue.

"Well according to the story, the son of the very first Ox King was a bit of a troublemaker and extremely curious. One day when he was out exploring he met a witch of the woods. She wanted to toy with his head so she showed him an image of a young girl with red ribbons in her hair inside the reflection of a pool of water. The Witch told him that when he grows up, the gods had chosen her as his future wife and tied an invisible red thread around the two. Being young, immature and with no interest in marriage, he ran from the witch and reached a nearby village with a burning house on the outskirts. Jumping in to see if anyone needed help, he found a girl crawling from the smoke and helped her up. When he looked at her face, he saw that it was the same girl the Witch had shown in the pool and was scared. He panicked and inadvertently pushed her away which knocked her back into the flames as the boy ran away.

A decade later he returned home from a journey to find that his parents had arranged for him to marry a beautiful girl from a nearby village. Having matured over the years and hearing of her beauty, he eagerly went to meet her. When he had walked into the room she was in, he saw what he thought was an angel wearing an elegant dress with a high collar and red scarf around her neck.

They were soon agreed to married and on their wedding night when they were to consummate their marriage his new wife hesitated when she was to remove the scarf. The husband asked why and she said that when she was a girl she was involved in an accident with fire. She said that a boy had rescued her but for some reason pushed her back into the fire and ran off. She had landed on a burning log that singed the skin around her neck causing it to scar and had been self-conscious about it ever since.

It was then that the Ox Prince realised that the Witch had been right and the woman he indeed married was the girl he had seen from that pool all those years ago. He gently removed the red scarf from her neck and shoulders and wrapped half of it around himself as he kissed her.

The story was then passed down that when a person is born the gods tie an invisible red string around them that's supposed to be connected to another person who the gods deem is their soulmate."

A bunch of girls began to sigh in admiration. That sounded truly romantic while a few of the jocks sitting in the back of the class began to mock gag and laugh amongst themselves.

"Oh my Kami that's so romantic" Erasa squealed "Do you think it's true?"

Sharpner had joined in on the mock gagging whilst Gohan nervously laughed at the reactions of the hopeless romantics in the room who had been joined by Erasa. Videl meanwhile sat quietly in her seat, gently fiddling with the red bracelet underneath her black glove. Little did she know that sitting two seats away from her was another person who had been doing the same thing.

As soon as the bell for lunch rang Erasa started her pestering of Gohan to ring his Mum about that afternoon. They knew from conversations with Gohan the past month that he had an incredibly strict Mother who wanted Gohan to focus primarily on studies to make sure he kept that scholarship. Erasa peered over Gohan's shoulder to call his house.

"Hello? Son Residunce!" a young voice asked "Did I do it right Mummy?"

Gohan laughed. Normally Goten wasn't allowed to answer the phone but it seemed that since Gohan had been attending school, Chi Chi had relaxed on some of her house rules.

"Hey buddy it's Gohan, do you mind if I talk to Mum?" Gohan asked.

"Okay Big Brother! Here Mum it's Gohan!" Goten responded as he handed the phone to his Mother.

"Yes Gohan? What is it? Why are you calling during school hours?!" Chi Chi asked in almost a typical yell.

"Uh Mum is it okay if I hang out with some friends after school? They said my sense of fashion needs a massive upgrade."

"You just wear the same type of clothes anyways no matter what we buy you! What's the difference this time?" Chi Chi asked.

Gohan laughed nervously as he noticed Erasa shaking her head at him while Sharpner and Videl were laughing at his predicament being able to hear Chi Chi's loud voice over the phone.

"Well I guess my friends might have a better idea of what's in style. It's okay if you don't want me to go."

"Now now Gohan, that would be rude of you not to go! Tell me who of your friends is going? Are there any girls?" Chi Chi asked almost playfully.

Gohan sighed. Typical Mother.

"Uh yea well there's Sharpner who you already know about and also Erasa and Videl."

To be honest, Gohan didn't really expect his Mother to say yes. She never did before whenever he asked to go hang out with Sharpner after school.

"Videl huh?" Chi Chi asked almost in a whisper.

"Um yeah?"

"Alright you can go, I'll transfer some money to your card. Just don't spend it all in one go."

With that Chi Chi hung up and left Gohan quite surprised. His mother actually let him go for once.

"So what did she say? I couldn't hear the rest" Erasa asked.

Gohan shoved his phone back into his pocket, a little unsure why his Mother would say yes. Maybe it had to do with girls? He knew that his Mother had two dreams in life. For her kids to become successful scholars and to have grandchildren. But normally Chi Chi kept such a strong leash on Gohan that he wasn't able to go out, even when he said it was just to Sharpner's house.

 _'I can't believe she actually said yes and what was her reaction when I mentioned Videl? How weird'_ Gohan pondered.

"She said I could go" Gohan said much to the delight of Erasa.

"Yes! That means it's time for a makeover!"

A trio of groans answered to the blonde girl's excitement. This afternoon was going to be a long one.

* * *

Author's Notes:

As always be sure to leave a review with your thoughts or just to say that you're enjoying it so far!


	7. Chapter 7 - Mall Makeover

**Chapter 7: Mall Makeover**

The rest of the day went by quickly and soon Gohan found himself waiting outside with Videl. In the past month he had never really found himself alone with her for more than 5 or 10 minutes. Usually it involved them either walking to class together or one of them stepping in to 'save' the other though the situations were vastly different from Videl stepping in to pull Gohan away from the clutches of whatever girl wanted to take advantage of him and Gohan as the Gold Fighter jumping into Videl's defence when her police work was getting a little too dangerous.

"What's taking them so long?" Videl asked.

Patience was never her strong suit and she hated waiting, especially because she knew Erasa was the type to always be 'fashionably late'. Not to mention she had to go to her house first to do something. Gohan meanwhile just stood there gazing up at the clouds as a bunch of school students ambled by them. He looked back towards the school doors hoping to see either Sharpner or Erasa when he noticed a guy in his grade glaring at him and Videl. He had greasy black hair, was quite stocky and brown eyes that was making Gohan extremely uncomfortable. Trying to avoid this boy's fixated stare he quickly turned his attention to Videl who was fidgeting with her black gloves. Several minutes had passed and both Erasa and Sharpner were yet to be found.

"Ugh I'll just meet you at the mall I need to get home first" Videl exclaimed as she threw out her Jetcopter capsule.

"Wait Videl!"

Videl turned to Gohan who had a nervous expression on his face. His eyes hovered over her before looking down at the ground.

"What is it?" she asked him.

"Uh I was wondering…"

"Yea?"

"Well I uh…" he mumbled.

"Spit it out."

Gohan took a deep breath. It was just a simple question so why was he finding this so hard?

"I was wondering since I have Erasa's and Sharpner's but uh… could I maybe have your number?" he anxiously asked with a red tinge on his cheeks.

A small giggle left Videl's mouth.

"Is that it?" she laughed "Give me your phone."

Gohan nervously pulled it out of his pocket, unlocked it and handed it to her. Videl took it from him and inspected it the high tech gadget. She had never paid all that much attention to Gohan whenever he had his phone out and was surprised to see it was the latest in the line of Capsule Corp's Z Phones. How did a kid from the countryside have such a fancy phone like this? She looked at his phone wallpaper. It was a picture of Gohan with 3 kids wrapped in his arms. On the left was a boy with lavender coloured hair split down the middle with a satisfied smirk on his face. In the middle was a small girl with blonde hair in a bob with her hands up in peace signs. On the right was a boy with wild black hair that was being ruffled by Gohan's hand. He looked quite a lot like Gohan so Videl assumed that was his younger brother. But why else did he look so familiar? She would have to ask him later.

The trio of children looked extremely happy with Gohan and she couldn't help but smile. They seemed like such a happy group that adored the older male.

 _'He must be really good with kids'_ she thought _'wait why does that matter.'_

Videl then opened up contacts and began to input her number. While she would've loved to flick through Gohan's phone to learn more about him it'd be pretty embarrassing while he was watching. She then handed the phone back to Gohan and stepped into her Jetcopter.

"I'll see you in a bit" she waved as she took off.

Gohan smiled and continued waiting for Erasa and Sharpner who had yet to come out.

Videl landed her jetcopter in her front yard and walked inside where she was greeted by the Satan House Maid. The older woman bowed slightly.

"Welcome home Miss. Your father is back from his business trip and is in his study if you wish to see him."

"Right, in a bit."

Videl made her way to her room and sat at her desk. The day before she had asked one of her contacts at the precinct to compile all the data available on the Jaguar Symbol as well as Gohan Son. She couldn't help but be curious about him. Videl always needed to know everything and was too impatient to wait for Gohan to open up more so she figured a small background search on him wouldn't be too bad. Just hide it off as police work. As the download bar reached 56% it stalled and came to a halt.

"Ugh piece of shit" she complained.

She slumped in her chest as she noticed her internet connection had died. It had been happening a lot lately and she was unsure why. The last time she called the internet company she got stuck in a long ass loop of useless phone operators. Resigning herself to the fact that it probably wouldn't fix again til later she made her way down to her Father's study to greet him before heading to the mall.

"Hi Daddy" she said as she opened the door.

Hercule was reclining in his chair, a glass of whiskey on the table beside him.

"Oh, hi Sweet Pea. How was school?"

"It was alright. Boring to be honest. Isn't it a bit early to be drinking?" she asked.

She already knew the answer. It was never too early to be drinking for Hercule Satan. She wondered how all that alcohol consumption was affecting his body and yet he still seemed to be in quite good shape.

"It's fine, just a little relaxing glass" he said as he took another sip "How's your police work? I heard that someone's been helping out too but I didn't catch the name."

"Well we don't exactly know his name but… he glows" Videl replied, trying to choose her words carefully. She didn't want to bring back the memories of her as a kid constantly asking about the Delivery Boy.

"Glows?" Mr. Satan exclaimed as he almost jumped out of his chair "wh… what colour?"

"Gold."

 _'Shit, are they back? No one's seen them since the Cell Games. I wonder if it's the kid'_ Mr. Satan thought.

"I see well.. I guess if he's helping out then he's a good guy."

Videl was a little surprised. Her father in the past had lambasted the old fighters in the Cell Games as Tricksters and Frauds whenever in public but had a less obnoxious opinion of them in private whenever Videl asked. She wondered why he was like that and had a few suspicions. Not wanting to continue this conversation, she hurried her goodbye.

"Sure… well I'm going out, I'll be back later."

"Where are you going with and with who?"

"Just to the mall with Erasa, Sharpner and another one of our friends"

This peaked Hercule's curiosity. Videl never hung out with anyone other than the two blondes.

"Who's this new friend? It better not be another boy! You know I don't like you hanging out with boys! They only want one thing!"

 _'Here we go again'_ Videl mentally complained.

"Now I don't mind that Sharpner kid since you basically grew up with him but anyone else is not allowed!"

Videl let out a deep exhale. Typical overprotective father.

"Relax Dad, Gohan isn't like that. He's actually quite nice and respectful."

Hercule continued on his tirade.

"Now just because he seems nice doesn't mean he's going to stay ni- what was his name?"

"Gohan" Videl answered.

Hercule's eyes widened a little as the name registered in his mind. So it was him. Gohan was the name of the Delivery Boy if he remembered correctly. The unknown Grandson of the Ox King. Was it the same Gohan from the Cell Games and was the Ox Princess already moving ahead with the Arrangement? And did Gohan know about it. More importantly, did Videl know about it.

"Tell… me about this err Gohan kid" Hercule asked.

"Uh I don't really know too much about him, he's pretty shy but I know he lives by Mount Paozu with his Mum and Younger Brother. Don't know about his Dad though. Never heard about him from Gohan."

Mr. Satan's heart dropped a little. He remembered seeing the young Gohan call after his Father 7 years ago at the Cell games when he sacrificed himself. Maybe he shouldn't overreact with the kid. And it looked like Videl knew nothing else about him or anything to do with the Arrangement. If it was him.

"I see. I'd um, I'd like to meet him sometime. Invite him over after school."

To say Videl was surprised by this was an understatement. Normally her Father would go on an outburst about the evils of boys and how they weren't to be trusted. Not that she needed it, she had never really been interested in a boy anyways but it was the fact that he would be extremely overprotective that irked her. How she wished for some freedom in that regard. And yet here he was asking to meet Gohan only after hearing his name. What was up with that? He was never like that with Sharpner in all those years that they'd known him. Not that Videl thought of Sharpner that way, he was merely one of the few friends that she had. Not to mention every time the mere mention of a boy caused him to go into his 'Any boy with eyes on my little girl has to be able to beat me first'.

"Sure, I'll ask him when I see him" she said as she approached her father and gave him a goodbye kiss on the cheek "I'll be back later."

"Have fun, Sweet Pea" Hercule responded as Videl made her way out of the room.

Mr. Satan slumped back into his chair and took another sip of his whiskey. His mind wandered to the last time he had heard anything about the boy. While the Ox King was a public figure, his daughter and grandson were definitely not. It had been four years since he last saw the Ox King. Four years of pushing that fateful Arrangement into the back of his mind and now it seemed to come back without any notice. His deep thought was interrupted when the Maid Janice knocked with a phone in her hand.

"It's for you, sir" she said as she handed him the phone and left the room.

"Hercule Satan speaking"

"Hello Mr. Satan" a woman's voice responded "It's the Ox King's daughter Chi Chi"

Hercule sat up in his chair and focused all his attention on the woman on the phone. Her voice was a little croaky.

"There's been a development so to speak"

"Is it time?" he asked.

"Yes. This weekend if possible."

* * *

Gohan sat inside a small coffee shop inside Satan City Mall with Erasa and Sharpner as they waited for Videl who said she'd be over in 5 minutes. Feeling a little bit peckish, he ordered a small coffee and three cinnamon rolls from the young waitress that had served them while he waited.

"Didn't you just eat 2 burgers?" joked Sharpner.

"Well I'm hungry, I don't get to eat much at school" Gohan replied.

"Much? You had a full lunch box today."

"What can I say? I'm a growing boy."

"Of course you are, I'm just going to go to the bathroom while Videl is on her way. Be back in a bit" Erasa said as she walked out.

Gohan's order soon came and he began to tear into the cinnamon rolls. After he had finished the first one, he noticed a pair of eyes watching him from the other side of the mall. It was that same kid that had been glaring at Gohan after school. Trying to hide the fact that he noticed, Gohan nudged Sharpner.

"Hey who's that kid over there? He keeps looking at me weirdly."

Sharpner discretely turned his body to face where Gohan had been looking and saw the greasy haired boy.

"Oh him, that's Pardus. Weird kid to be honest. Doesn't really hang out with anyone."

"Why has he been staring at me like I'm some sort of criminal?" Gohan asked.

Sharpner chuckled.

"Well it's cause you've been seen around Videl quite often. He had a thing for her in the past. Actually he was really creepy about it and it started to annoy Videl so she kinda embarrassed him when he tried to ask her out. I think he tried to sway her with money too but you know her being Hercule's daughter and all, doesn't really matter to her."

"So he's sorta jealous of me then?"

"Maybe, I haven't seen him try to talk to her in over a year so I thought he was over it. Just ignore him, he's a creep."

Erasa had come back while Gohan began to eat his second cinnamon roll.

"Is Videl not here yet? Typical" Erasa sighed "And she complains when I'm late."

"Hey there she is" Sharpner said, pointing behind Gohan.

Gohan turned to see the black haired girl walking towards them. She seemed to be thinking about something and almost bumped into someone in front of her before she made her way to sit down in the empty seat beside Gohan.

"Hey you okay? You seem a bit out of it" Erasa asked.

"I'm alright just a bit on my mind. Sorry I'm late" Videl replied.

She noticed Gohan looking a little bit uncomfortable.

"What's wrong with him?"

"Nothing, Pardus has just been staring at him and it's giving him the creeps" Sharpner answered.

"Ugh that loser. Just ignore him Gohan, I've learnt to."

Gohan nodded and began to tear into his final cinnamon roll.

"Come on Gohan, let's go. We have to make up the time we lost for your make over!" Erasa said as she attempted to pull Gohan away.

"Wait my coffee!" he whined as he grabbed the paper cup and noticed something written on it "What the?"

"What is it?" asked a curious Videl.

Gohan handed her the cup and she noticed someone had written something on it. She handed it back and laughed though felt a little bit annoyed at it. The waitress that had served Gohan had written her name and number on the cup. The two blondes noticed this and began to laugh too.

"Damn Brains, you got some game" joked Sharpner.

"Err is that a good thing?" Gohan innocently asked.

"Oh it's great, don't worry. Now we just have to make sure you look good too" Erasa said as she dragged a struggling Gohan to the first stop on their shopping adventure.

The first few stores were a bust in Erasa's eyes. Gohan had politely refused all the options she had been giving him. He had told her that he wasn't all that comfortable with flashy numbers or bright colours and would prefer simpler looking clothing.

"Alright fine but they aren't allowed to be super baggy okay?" Erasa yelled.

Gohan resigned himself to the compromise and nodded.

"Great! Let's try this store" she said cheerfully as she dragged the poor Half-Saiyan into another store with Sharpner and Videl following behind, bored out of their minds.

After a few minutes, Erasa picked out a 'simple' outfit for Gohan that would fit his look. It was a simple light purple V neck with a single black stripe along the hem of the shirt and a pair of black fitted jeans. Gohan eyed the clothes as Erasa handed it to him.

"At least try this one on this time" she whined.

Gohan sighed. He had to at least try it on if she was spending this much time and effort on it even if he didn't particularly want it. Taking the clothing from her, he made his way to the change rooms as Erasa shouted back at him that she was going to look for more. He changed into the outfit and found that it was quite tight fitting and showed off more of his physique than he particularly liked. A knock was soon heard on the door.

"Yo Gohan, you good bud?" Sharpner called out.

"Err I'm not sure about this" Gohan said as he opened the door.

The door swung open and to Sharpner's amazement in front him was no longer the scrawny looking book nerd with the fashion style of a circus monkey and instead was a stylish and fit looking man.

"Dude what the fuck have you been hiding under there?" he exclaimed.

"Hey not so loud!" Gohan said trying to hush his friend "I don't want people to stare."

"No way, you walk out of there and everyone's going to be staring. Your body's almost as good as mine."

Gohan blushed a little at the compliment.

"No homo though" Sharpner quickly added on as he continued to inspect the Half-Saiyan.

"You'll definitely have to take that red bracelet off when you wear that though. Doesn't suit the shirt at all" he remarked.

Gohan nodded and quickly removed it before turning back to the mirror to examine his new look.

"You're right. Red doesn't fit with purple" he said as he bent down to store his bracelet inside his bag on the floor.

"OH MY KAMI!" a voice screeched behind them.

Gohan turned around to see Erasa and Videl standing there, mouths wide open in awe.

"This is what you look like under those baggy shirts?" Erasa said.

Gohan nodded with a nervous laugh as he rubbed the back of his neck. This was way too embarrassing. He noticed Videl's cheeks which seemed to be a bit red and wondered what it was about.

"Wh… what do you think Videl?" he asked nervously.

Videl's cheeks flushed a little brighter. He was asking her out of everyone for an opinion? Videl's fashion style was probably just above Gohan's.

"You um. You look good" she mumbled out.

Her eyes couldn't help but hover over Gohan, the tight purple material clinging to his well -defined torso, his ripped arms now on full display instead of being hidden underneath his long sleeved shirts. Even his forearms seemed well defined.

 _'I wonder how firm his chest is'_ she thought _'wait I shouldn't be thinking this.'_

Her internal battle was quickly interrupted by Erasa making a loud noise as she shoved more clothes into Gohan's hands.

"Try these on too!" she squealed.

Gohan set down the clothes on the bench inside as Erasa began to shut the door to give him some privacy. Videl's eyes were still fixated on Gohan as she saw him remove the shirt and reveal his undressed upper body for a split second, the image of a scar running down his left shoulder piquing her interest before the door shut.

"Damn…" she breathed out as a little bit of blood felt like coming out of her nose.

She thought that had slipped out unheard but soon realised she was being looked at by a smirking Erasa.

"So 'del" she began to say as her smirk grew bigger and bigger "I see you like what you saw?"

If there was a colour brighter than red, Videl's cheeks would have had it beaten handily. Erasa only ever called her ''del' when she was teasing her. She began to shake her head vigorously.

"No no I was just um surprised is all" she blurted out.

"Oh yeah? Is that why you couldn't take your eyes off him?"

Videl's cheeks flared even brighter. Even Sharpner had noticed and began to tease his long-time friend.

"Heh I'm right here and out of all the guys you could have paid attention to it happens to be Brains huh?" he half teased half whined.

Sharpner received a sharp jab to the shoulder for his trouble.

"Shut up! He's gonna hear and think weird things" Videl said through gritted teeth.

"Heh fine fine" Erasa said "How's everything going Gohan?"

Gohan meanwhile had heard everything due to his enhanced Saiyan hearing. Was Videl really looking at him like that? Her reaction was kind of cute to be honest, a word he wouldn't normally associate with the tough as nails Videl Satan he had previously come to see.

"I'm okay!" he yelled back "I think I'm happy with these things."

He opened the door wearing his old clothes from before as all the things he had tried out were neatly folded in his arms.

"I'll just go pay for this and we can go" he said not wanting to cause a fuss which had the added bonus of saving Videl from the torture from the blondes.

As Gohan finished paying for his 'makeover' he shoved the capsulized items into his bag where he felt his Grandmother's bracelet jostle about in his fingers. He reattached it around his left wrist and made his way back to his friends as Erasa received a phone call from her Mother.

"Ugh fine alright Mum, I'll be there soon" she said as she hung up the phone dejectedly.

"I guess we'll have to end Gohan's makeover here. Mum wants me to go home and help her with something. Can you give me a lift home, Sharpie?"

Sharpner frowned.

"Did you really have to use that nickname?" he complained.

Erasa simply smiled at him, almost in an evil little way.

"Fine fine" Sharpner said "Let's go."

Erasa gave Videl and Gohan a quick hug goodbye as she and Sharpner headed for the Mall's exist leaving the two dark haired teens in a rather awkward silence. A good minute had passed before either one said a word.

"So um, I guess if there's nothing else I should go too then" Gohan said.

"Uh maybe. Just because they had to go doesn't mean we have to end it here" Videl replied.

For some reason unknown to Gohan his heart rate began to speed up a little and he felt a little more nervous than usual. Did Videl really want to hang out with him? Sure they could be described as friends but whenever Sharpner or Erasa weren't around they hardly talked save for a few minutes of interaction a day. Taking a big gulp he managed to get out a few words.

"What do you want to do?"

Videl pondered for a moment as she looked around what was nearby.

"Want some ice cream? There's a decent place just around the corner."

The words 'ice' and 'cream' instantly registered in Gohan's mind and he nodded eagerly causing Videl to chuckle lightly.

"Come on" she said as she grabbed his arm to lead him to dairy goodness.

She didn't know what had come over her and why she did that. The only times Videl interacted physically with the opposite sex was when she was beating them up or kissing her Father's cheek. The material of Gohan's long sleeved shirt felt unusually slippery for a cotton shirt as Videl's grip loosened and fell down Gohan's forearm and down to his wrist. She turned back to Gohan who had a hint of red forming in his cheeks as he tried to keep up with the girl that was leading him. As they turned the corner Videl attempted to fix her grip on Gohan's arm when she felt a bump under his shirt.

 _'Is that a bracelet or something? I never took Gohan to be the type to wear things like that'_ she mused.

"Here we are" she said as the duo reached Cold Cone Ice Creamery "get what you want, my shout."

Gohan's eyes lit up at all the flavours before him. He could probably eat half of what the store had in 5 minutes. Not wanting to take advantage of Videl's generosity he mulled over the flavours and decided to only get two scoops. That would have to sate his sweet tooth for now.

"Pick what you want?" Videl asked "I usually just get two scoops of the Crème Brulee on a heated waffle."

 _'Mmm that sounds good too'_ Gohan mentally drooled.

"I think I'll just get one scoop of that and one of the Cookies and Crème in a cone."

"Sure thing, go take a seat in the meantime."

Gohan smiled at her and walked over to an empty table before plopping himself down on the chair tiredly. He was never a fan of shopping, especially when his mother or Bulma would drag him to the mall every few months for their 'therapy sessions'. It just took so much energy out of him. He looked back at the counter where his eyes met Videl's and she gave him a weak smile while she waited for their order. Instantly all tiredness he felt was gone when he saw her face.

 _'What's this feeling?'_ he began to wonder _'and why do I only feel like this around Videl.'_

His inner investigation was interrupted by the ice cream shop's door opening and a little girl's voice began to call to him.

"Uncle Gohan! Hi!" the little one said in excitement.

Gohan looked down to see a girl, the age of 4 with big brown eyes and a blonde bob greeting him. He instantly smiled and lifted her up onto his lap as she hugged him.

"Hi Marron! What are you doing here? Where are your parents?" he asked.

"Daddy's in the city apple-ing for a job! Mummy made him do so."

Gohan was confused for a moment. Apple-ing? Was Krillin looking at fruits or something?

"She means applying" a cool feminine voice answered.

"Oh hey Eighteen. Where at?"

"Anywhere" the blonde woman scoffed "We just need a steady income so we can get our own place and move away from that Perverted Island."

"Any luck?" Gohan asked.

"Yea, he said he found a nice paying job but didn't want to tell me yet until he was hired for certain. What are you doing here?"

Gohan nervously chuckled. It would have been easier if Erasa and Sharpner were here but if Krillin ever got wind that he was hanging out alone with a pretty girl he would never hear the end of it.

"I'm just here with a friend" he murmured.

It was at that moment that Videl had walked over to Gohan with his ice cream.

"Here" she said as she handed Gohan the cone and took a seat opposite him "Who are your friends?"

Gohan smiled as he set Marron down off of his lap and onto the seat beside him.

"Videl, this is my Goddaughter Marron and her mother Eighteen. Marron, this is my friend Videl."

 _'That's a weird name. Who names their kid a number?'_ Videl thought.

Eighteen noticed the confused face on the girl sitting opposite Gohan and answered.

"My Father was a dull and unsuccessful man. It took him Eighteen tries to get me and his mind was too gone by the time I was born."

Gohan's sweat dropped a little. He knew that was a load of horse shit. He was thankful that Videl didn't press anymore questions and took notice of Marron who had been eyeing Videl's ice cream with envy.

 _'She looks familiar'_ Videl thought.

It took her a few moments but she remembered where she saw her from. It was the girl in picture on Gohan's phone. She was so cute and seemed to absolutely adore Gohan.

 _'To be a Godfather at his age must mean he's pretty responsible.'_

"Would you like some Marron?" she asked the little girl who nodded.

Videl smiled as she walked over to the counter to ask for a second plate and some cutlery to half her waffle with Marron.

"Can I leave Marron with you for a moment?" Eighteen asked Gohan "I need to go buy a few things."

"Sure thing."

Gohan watched as Marron moved from her seat beside Gohan to the one beside Videl who had cut her waffle in half for the little girl who seemed to have taken a quick liking to the dark haired teen. In the month that he had known Videl he knew her as a strong willed girl who wasn't afraid to get her hands dirty. But seeing her interact with Marron almost in a motherly way was nice. Who knew that Videl had a softer side to her like this. He even noticed Videl using a napkin to wipe a bit of ice cream that had managed to miss the little tyke's mouth.

"Thank you Miss Videl! You're very nice and super pretty" Marron said with a grin on her face.

The sight made Gohan smile deeply inside as Videl began to blush at the child's compliment. Suddenly his senses picked up something nearby.

 **BOOOOOOM**

An explosion had gone off on the east end of Satan City Mall causing a shockwave to verberate through the ground and knocked people off their feet. Smoke began to quickly fill the hallways as shoppers hurriedly tried to escape the commotion.

"Are you okay?" Gohan asked as he saw Videl had her arms wrapped around Marron.

"Yeah I'm fine, you?" Videl replied.

Gohan nodded that he was okay.

"Come on, we need to find Eighteen" he said as he took Marron from Videl and cradled her in his arms.

They exited the ice cream shop and were nearly knocked over by the stampeding crowd who were screaming in terror. Carefully making their way through the crowd, they ran into Eighteen who had bolted towards her daughter's location as soon as she heard the explosion. Gohan quickly handed the frightened girl to her mother as Videl's watch started beeping and she pressed the button to answer it.

"Videl hurry over to Satan City Mall! An explosion went off and it seems like there is a group of terrorists wreaking havoc" the voice said.

"I'm already here Chief" she responded "Send a few squads over to contain the threat and evacuate the premises."

"Understood. Be careful Videl."

Videl turned to Gohan with a worried look as another, smaller explosion was heard in the distance.

"Sorry, I have to go deal with this. You better get out of here while you can" she said.

Gohan returned the look of worry and managed a weak smile.

"You be careful, okay?"

She nodded and took off towards the direction of the explosions. As she cut pass through the people making their escape, Gohan looked at Eighteen who was trying to hush Marron's soft cries.

"I have to go help her" he stated "can you help with making sure people evacuate safely?"

Eighteen nodded in affirmation as Gohan jumped around the corner into a quiet hallway and transformed in to his Gold Fighter disguise. Quickly locking onto Videl's Ki he noticed that she was standing off across from three figures, a single man in the middle flanked by two larger men who had much stronger Kis than Videl. Gohan eyed the man in the middle closely who appeared to be the leader of the trio. That's when he noticed that the face was familiar to him. He had seen this person twice today.

 _'Pardus?'_

* * *

Author's Notes:

I think I'm going to slow down a little more on updates (well I'm in a great writing mood right now so I want to take advantage of that) so I can work on things a little more and keep a steady stream of content going so in case I get into a block I'll still have chapters to post.

Sleyyer, yea in Chapter 5 I made a mention that Gohan did train on some weekends but it wasn't a regular thing because of times of peace. His power won't be at the same level as he used to be and he'll be a bit rusty.


	8. Chapter 8 - Pardus

**Chapter 8: Pardus**

Gohan was shocked to see the greasy haired boy that had been staring at him earlier today. Sharpner had told him about his history with Videl and a terrorist attack didn't seem like his sort of thing. But then again, he hardly knew the kid and who knows what dark secrets he was hiding. Gohan for sure understood that part, he had his own secrets. He examined the two hulking men that stood on each side of Pardus. They looked almost similar in build and appearance with slight differences. Both had their heads clean shaven but the one on the left had green eyes in contrast to the brown eyes of the one on the right.

"Hyahh!" Videl yelled as she took the initiative to strike the brown eyed goon.

She quickly jumped onto her hands and pivoted into another kick against the green eyed man. Gohan quickly got out of his funk and jumped forward to knock back the brown eyed one before he could jump back into the fight.

"Gold Fighter!" Pardus said in shock "you weren't supposed to be here yet!"

A small smirk appeared on Videl's face as she jumped back beside the Gold Fighter.

"Stay back, I have this." she clamoured.

"There's something different about those two" Gohan said in a deep voice "Take one, I'll take the other."

"What about him?" Videl said pointing at Pardus.

"He doesn't look as strong as the other two, leave him for last."

Videl nodded and quickly darted to the green eyed man who was picking himself up. She used her superior speed to dodge the lumbering man's punch and kicked him cleanly up the chin. To her surprise, the impact didn't send the man flying and instead he cracked his neck and looked down at her with an indifferent expression. Catching her off guard he grabbed her leg and threw her fifteen metres away into a nearby bench causing the wood planks to shatter.

"Videl!" Gohan called out worriedly as he pushed his opponent away.

To his delight Videl stood back up onto her feet and dusted herself off before sprinting back to continue her fight.

 _'She's a lot tougher than she looks'_ Gohan mused as he continued to dodge his enemy's strikes.

To Pardus it seemed like the Gold Fighter was toying with his ally but in actuality Gohan was gauging his opponent's strength, trying to get a feel of the larger Ki he felt.

"Get serious, Jubatus!" Pardus bellowed at the one fighting Gohan.

Taking note of the order, Jubatus increased his speed to strike Gohan who dodged the move before he was caught off guard by a Ki Blast from Jubatus' other hand.

 _'I should have figured'_ Gohan thought.

"Videl!" he called out to his crime fighting partner "Watch out, these guys have similar powers to my own."

Videl soon learnt that the hard way as the man she was fighting pushed off her with a kick before shooting a small Ki blast towards her that narrowly missed and exploded behind her.

 _'Shit that was close'_ she thought.

She looked back at the man she was fighting who seemed to be charging another blast.

"Videl dodge!" Gohan yelled.

The man fired the blast towards her as she ducked behind a concrete column, taking out a decent chunk of it. It was there that Gohan decided he had to take both of these guys out before they could cause any more damage, especially to Videl. He quickly dodged the punch attempt of Jubatus and sent a Ki blast towards the other man who was shooting more blasts towards Videl. It burst in his face and smoke covered the area.

'Did I get him?' Gohan thought.

The smoke began to clear as Gohan saw the figure still standing, heavily damaged. A massive hole had formed on the left side of his face, damaged by Gohan's Ki blast. It didn't look singed like it normally would when Ki damaged something but instead looked like it had melted.

"What the?"

The pause in the action had given Videl a moment to catch her breath. What the hell had happened there? The man she was fighting had been shooting beams at her, something her Dad had always said a trick. Even though she had seen the Gold Fighter possess abilities like that, it still shocked her to see someone she had never heard of do that. The only ones she knew could do something like that were either related to the Cell Games or were accomplished Martial Artists that had fought in old tournaments. Not some random goon accompanying a creepy kid. Were there more of them? And if so, how did they come to possess these abilities. Was it genetic or perhaps something that could be learnt?

 _'Better think on that later'_ she thought as she sprinted around the bend to get a better vantage point.

She peered over her cover to see the Gold Fighter in battle with both thugs. He seemed to be winning but the two seemed to be unaffected by the damage he was inflicting and instead continued to fight him despite having several holes in their bodies. She looked around and noticed their third opponent was missing. Where was Pardus?

 **ZZZZAP**

She felt a sharp sting of electricity on the back of her neck and winced in pain. As she fell to the ground her eyes made contact with her attacker. The figure of Pardus stood over her as he reached down to take hold of her. Her eyes soon closed and everything went black.

* * *

Gohan was startled when he felt Videl's Ki drop. Striking Jubatus down he looked over to where he last felt her and saw Pardus holding an unconscious Videl over his shoulder escaping from the battle. He moved to cut him off when the other goon quickly appeared before him and knocked him back with an unsuspecting Ki blast.

 _'I'm so rusty'_ he complained in his mind, mentally kicking himself for not training nearly enough.

Why was he having so much trouble with these two? They weren't nearly on the level of the powerful opponents he had fought in the past. The only characteristics he could see was that they were able to use Ki and their bodies seemed to ignore any damage, no matter how life threatening. They clearly weren't human but what they were exactly, he was unsure of. His mind tried to lock back onto Videl's Ki. It was faint and it was moving away from the mall. He had to finish up here quickly and help her. Nothing was allowed to happen to her while he was around.

Gohan quickly scanned the area for any lingering Ki signatures hoping that there wouldn't be anyone caught in the crossfire. Making note that there wasn't anyone left he powered up. Raising hands above his forehead, he shouted.

"MASENKO HAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Instantly Jubatus was engulfed in light as Gohan's attack blasted him. The light faded and smoke cleared as Jubatus disintegrated, a mix of burnt blood and flesh left on the ground. Gohan tried to lock back onto Videl's ki. It had gotten so low that he had to wonder; was she just unconscious or… he gulped, not wanting to continue that train of thought. She was getting further and further away, most likely in some sort of vehicle. He had to take out this last guy and save her.

Gohan turned his attention to the lone enemy and charged another attack, hoping to destroy him the same way he did Jubatus. As the attack overwhelmed the man Gohan felt Videl's ki brighten. She must have woken up.

* * *

Videl's eyes wearily opened. What had knocked her out? Some sort of taser it felt like. She could feel her arms and legs bound as she sat against a metal wall. She surveyed her surroundings to find she was inside a van. She moved her head to get a better look at the inside of the van when she locked eyes with her captor.

"Pardus…" she growled "What are you doing?"

"I see you're awake" he said, a smug look on his face "I'm simply taking my revenge."

"Your revenge?" Videl asked in shock "what, a girl can't say no to a date and suddenly they're supposed to be kidnapped by people that can blow up things?"

Pardus laughed.

"Hah you think I actually care about you? This is all for what your family did to my father."

Videl was confused. She didn't recall herself or her Father do anything towards Pardus other than her public rejection of him. In fact, she didn't even know who Pardus' Father was nor did he seem like the son of anyone important. She also knew that her Father wasn't the type to "ruin" another man to the point of their family taking revenge. Sure they had their fair share of haters or those that wanted to try to gain money or fame at the Satan's expense but not something like this.

"What do you mean? I don't even know what you're talking about."

Pardus frowned. He seemed to get really angry about it.

"You don't know?!" he yelled "I guess that zap must've fried your brain a little. No matter, I'll remind you."

 _'Yes!'_ Videl thought _'tell me your story, idiot. Villains could be so predictable.'_

"Five years ago my Father's business had a vision for the World. He used his money and connections to try and form it into the image he wanted. Naturally there were people who opposed him but nothing could stand in his way. Not until your dear Daddy and his cohorts got in the way"

Videl tried to squirm out of her bonds while Pardus was distracted but it was tied too tightly. Her best hope now was to stall for time til the Gold Fighter could find her. He always did.

"What did they do?" she questioned.

She actually hadn't heard about this before. Naturally as a teenage girl, she didn't have any interests in the business dealings of her Father. She had other things on her mind. Pardus straightened in his seat and continued his monologue.

"My Father wished to buy a piece of land for his riches but for some reason the Ox King refused to sell it even though it was basically uninhabited. My Father's business knew that there were hidden riches within the land and wished to use it to continue to fund his vision. When he tried to take it by… other means was when your Father and that Blue Bitch got involved"

 _'Blue Bitch? I wonder who that is though it sounds like someone with a lot of pull. And since when was my Father on good terms with the Ox King?'_ Videl wondered.

Pardus continued his story as the van continued to drive away.

"I don't know how they did it but they found out my Father's business had less than legal dealings as well as some cases of fraud. My Father just wanted to build the world in the best way he thought and he was ousted and embarrassed by them!"

 _'Alright that makes a little more sense than revenge for being rejected'_ Videl thought.

"I didn't know until two years ago when he approached me. Now he'll get back what should have been his and I'll be able to help him!" Pardus said confidently.

Videl shook her head.

 _'What a loser.'_

It was when Pardus moved from his seat to check on their driver when Videl noticed something stitched into the back of the seat. It was a symbol that she had seen before. The Jaguar. Pardus must be linked somehow to that convenience store robbery a month ago. Perhaps it was his father's business that had funded it. But why? If their motive was revenge then why send a team of common thugs to hold up a random store. It didn't make sense unless maybe they were scouting? It was a plausible reason. Videl tried once more to slip out of her the rope that tied up her hands. The Gold Fighter should have been here already or was he having trouble with those two goons that Pardus had left at the Mall?

"Stop your squirming, it'll all be over soon" Pardus yelled at her as he took his seat once more.

Videl decided to listen and stopped moving until the van suddenly halted and threw her against the wall.

"What is it? Why did we stop?" Pardus shouted at his driver as he picked himself up off the floor.

"The.. the… Gold…" was all the driver managed to stammer out before a loud crash was heard.

The Gold Fighter had ripped off one of the front tires. Pardus wasn't going anywhere.

"Go out and stop him!" he ordered but the driver wasn't having any of it.

"You're not paying me enough for this" he screamed as he ran out of the driver's seat but didn't get far when the glowing figure knocked him out.

A smug smirk appeared on Videl's face. Normally she hated being saved by the Gold Fighter. After all, she was the World Champion's daughter and she was supposed to be able to handle situations like this. But Pardus had been irritating her and she already got enough information out of his dumbass head.

"You're in for it now" she commented.

Pardus' sweat began to drop as he heard footsteps outside. They were getting closer to the end of the van and he took a big gulp. He took out a pistol from underneath his chair and aimed it at the doors, waiting for it to open. Suddenly both doors were ripped from their hinges. Pardus opened fire, emptying his clip before the Gold Fighter could react. Or so he thought.

"You done?" Gohan asked, almost cockily.

Without warning he sprung into the van and into Pardus, knocking the wind out of him. With a heavy wheeze Pardus fell unconscious. Gohan then turned to Videl and began to untie her bonds.

"Are you okay? Did he hurt you" he asked in his deep voice.

"Took you long enough and yes, I'm okay. This wasn't anything I couldn't handle."

Gohan chuckled. If anything at least Videl's confidence didn't take a hit.

"Good" he said with a smile.

He removed the last of the rope around her and began to tie up Pardus with it.

"I found out some things from him" Videl stated "I'll write up a report and I guess I could give you a copy too."

"What did you find out?"

Videl began to relay what Pardus had told her. When she had mentioned the Ox King she noticed that the Gold Fighter's expression change a little. Perhaps he knew him?

"He… actually told you all of that?"

Videl nodded.

"Yeah, Pardus was never the brightest crayon in the box. I think that whoever his Father is didn't tell him the whole story either. At least I wouldn't with a guy like Pardus."

Gohan nodded and began to make his way out of the van followed by Videl.

"The Police are on their way. I'll be taking my leave then" he said.

"Sure thing… oh wait!" Videl cried out before he had managed to fly off.

"What is it?"

"Two things actually um… first, did you happen to see my friend at the mall? I left him to go fight these guys and I want to make sure he got out safely"

Gohan raised a curious eyebrow. Was Videl worried about his safety? Well, his non-Gold Fighter identity. She seemed to be a little flustered asking about him.

"Describe him to me"

Videl pondered for a moment to figure out which of Gohan's features would be the easiest to describe. His spiky hair, his dark eyes? Maybe his goofy smile or his incredibly toned bod…

 _'Stop that!'_ she shouted internally trying to stop herself from thinking things like that.

Managing to compose herself before her cheeks glowed red she began to describe Gohan to the Gold Fighter. Oh how funny that must have been for the Half-Saiyan.

"I see" he said after she had finished "Yeah I saw him leaving the mall as I flew in. He was with a blonde woman and a child."

He had hoped that mentioning Eighteen and Marron would make the story more believable. Videl seemed to buy it and smiled.

"Good" she murmured.

"What was the second thing?" Gohan asked.

Videl took a deep breath. This was one request that she wouldn't have thought she would make especially with how her Father was. The things he would say if he ever caught wind of this.

"There were things I saw and felt today" she began "and I feel like with how I am now and with these new threats I'm not as strong as I thought I was. I honestly felt a little weak when I had those blasts firing at me."

"You're plenty strong," Gohan interrupted "don't ever call yourself weak."

A soft smile appeared on Videl's face. It meant a lot that the Gold Fighter thought she was strong. He was the Delivery Boy after all and if he only knew how interested she used to be in him it would definitely make things a little awkward. How she used to be interested right? Key word: used to be.

"Well I know that I can be stronger so I want to ask you something. Can you train me?"

Gohan was taken aback. He didn't actually expect Videl of all people to make a request like this. The Daughter of the Man who the world thought defeated Cell. The one that had been running his mouth about the ancient martial arts being all tricks and nonsense. Did Videl not share Mr. Satan's view on this? Noticing the Gold Fighter's contemplation Videl spoke up again.

"I know my Father said that these were all tricks and fake but I can't say that. Not after what I've seen. Actually I think I've known for a while they were real. I just didn't get a feel for how powerful they were until I met you."

Gohan's expression relaxed. Maybe Videl was much more mature than he gave her credit for. But how was he going to train her without revealing too much about not just himself but the world that he belonged to? He figured maybe he could just tell her about Ki but knowing Videl she wouldn't let any unanswered questions she had stay that way. He had learnt over the past month how persistent she could be and even if she seemed to relax on hounding the real Gohan, he knew that those questions always lingered in her mind. That was just how she was.

"You… you don't have to say yes straight away" she said "I know you're probably a busy person but if you could consider it then that would make me really happy."

"I see. I will think on it but I'll leave you with one question" Gohan began to say "Why do you fight and why do you want to get stronger?"

Before Videl could think of an answer the Gold Fighter hovered above her and gave her a friendly wave before flying off as Police sirens could be heard from around the corner.

* * *

Videl had caught a ride with the police car that had come to take in Pardus and his driver. When she arrived at the precinct she was shocked to see rubble and smoking cars scattered in the car park. When she questioned the Police Chief he had told her that a group of thugs had attacked them just after he had alerted her of the crisis earlier. It was why they had been so late to the scene and weren't able to assist her and the Gold Fighter. She was surprised to learn that they were known lowlifes that hadn't had any history of using high grade weaponry but had almost decimated the police force. It was the same thing that happened last month. Clearly this wasn't a coincidence and these events were all linked. There was no way Pardus, still a teenager, would have able to organise something like this. It had to be the Father he mentioned earlier.

When Videl and the Police Chief questioned Pardus about this he completely denied everything he had told Videl earlier realising his mistake of talking too much. It was clear they weren't going to get anything else out of him.

"We can lock him up for his attempted kidnapping but we won't be able to put too much time and manpower in searching for this Father of his. We're already stretched thin as it is."

Videl searched the Police database on information on Pardus' Father but it came up with no results. He was officially listed as only having a Mother who had singlehandedly raised him whilst working dubious jobs that Videl had wished she didn't look up. His Father could have been anyone. There wasn't anything she could investigate other than Pardus and that Jaguar logo and both weren't leading to anything.

"I remember last month you guys had trouble with these kind of weapons. How were you able to beat them?"

The Police Chief nervously chuckled, his team was pretty poor when it came to fire fights. How they ever passed the Police Academy was anyone's guess.

"Actually it was our newest officer that got most of them" he said "He wasn't supposed to even start today but I wasn't going to turn away his help."

Videl's interest was instantly piqued. A new guy was able to take out a group with these kinds of weapons? He must have been strong.

"I'd like to meet him."

"Of course, he's outside helping out with clean up. Follow me."

The Police Chief led her out of the precinct to meet the new recruit. They walked up to an officer she knew that had been with the force for three years talking to a short man with black hair.

"New guy!" the Chief yelled out "I'd like you to meet Videl Satan."

The short man turned and held his hand out to shake Videl's. He seemed a little apprehensive about meeting her. Was it because of her last name?

"It's a pleasure to meet you" he said.

"Likewise. So I heard you were the one that took out the guys here?"

The short man nodded.

"Yeah, I was finishing up my application and forms when they attacked. Couldn't just stand by idly while people got hurt."

"Well thank you for helping out. What's your name?" Videl asked.

"I'm Krillin" he responded.

Videl's eyes widened. This was Krillin? Now that she looked at him, the height and build was right but the Krillin she had seen in those tapes was bald.

"YOU'RE KRILLIN?!" she exclaimed "From the Turtle School of Martial Arts?"

Krillin sheepishly laughed.

"Yeah that's me haha."

"I've been a fan of your fights in the World Martial Arts Tournaments for a few years now! It's an honour to meet you" Videl said with a bow.

"Oh it's nice to meet a fan but I'm just happy to help."

Videl was happy with the Satan City Police Force's new recruit. At least this was someone she knew that could handle themselves and from what happened today, he seemed like a trustworthy and reliable addition to the team. Two beeps were heard from Krillin's pocket and he pulled out his cell phone to look at a message.

"Ah excuse me, my family's here" he said as two figures walked up from the other side of the street.

"Hi Daddy!" a familiar child's voice shouted.

"Heya Squirt! Were you good for Mummy?" Krillin said as he picked up the little girl.

"Mhm!" she nodded.

It took a few seconds to register in Videl's mind but that voice… she turned around to see Marron in Krillin's arms.

"Marron? Krillin is your Dad?"

"Oh hi Miss Videl! Yes my Daddy's the best!" the child said earnestly.

Her cute smile and good mood was infectious. It was good to see she wasn't too shaken up about earlier anymore. Eighteen soon walked up over to them and gave her husband a good natured little jab to his shoulder when she noticed Videl.

"Long time no see" she joked.

"Yeah. You're Krillin's wife then? Wow" Videl gasped.

"You know my wife and daughter?" Krillin asked.

"I met them earlier today at the mall actually."

Marron jumped out of her Dad's arm and went to greet Videl.

"Yeah! She was with Uncle Gohan."

Marron reached up and tugged at Videl's arm as if to ask her something.

"What is it, little one?" Videl asked.

"Are you Uncle Gohan's girlfriend?" the little girl innocently questioned.

Blood instantly rushed to Videl's cheeks. Did this little girl think she and Gohan were on a date earlier? A mischievous grin appeared on Krillin's face. Oh Gohan was so going to get it the next time he saw him.

"No no" Videl vehemently denied "We're just friends from school."

Krillin and Eighteen didn't seem convinced. The deep red blush on Videl's face told a different story.

"How do you know Gohan?" she quickly asked, trying to change the subject.

"Ah well Gohan's Dad and I were best friends. Great man."

Videl had yet to hear about Gohan's father from him. Noticing the slight sadness to Krillin's voice she decided not to press it any further. Maybe it brought back bad memories.

"I see" she said "Well I should be going home. It was nice meeting you!" she said as she waved good bye to the family.

It was starting to get late and she could really use a meal right about now. As she flew home in her jetcopter she wondered about Gohan and if he was doing okay. She was definitely going to ask him about Krillin later.

* * *

Author's Notes:

QueenKeesie, thanks for the positive review! I'm a fan of your work too so that means a lot. Update when you can as well!

RKF22, Gohan's power won't be that low, he's still probably the strongest on the planet but because he only trains every now and then, he doesn't have as high of a ceiling at the moment and his Ki control isn't at the level it could be at.

Guest 1, I'm sorry if you feel that way with parts of the story. The reason I skipped 7 years was because there wasn't all that much I could write about that time that wouldn't just be unnecessary filler. The reason I skipped 7 years was because this is where I wanted the story to be. As for Videl, I'm sorry if you feel that she is too different to how you would see Videl. She's still going to be a bit untrusting at times and might be a little cold but she won't be extremely bitchy then suddenly change to loving Gohan after a single event.

TheRangerBoy, thanks a lot! I wanted to make Hercule a bit more of a deeper character compared to how a lot of fanfics portray him as. Felt that it would be a nice change to the incredibly annoying, ignorant man that a lot of fanfics show him as.

Lancecomwar, the reason they originally didn't tell Gohan was because with all that had been going on with him, they felt that it was best at the time to take him away from that part of the world. Mr. Satan was up there but I would think that because his Ki is probably really low and that they had been extremely tired and relaxed that they failed to notice him but you could also just chalk that up to a bit of oversight on my part. Humans won't be that strong but there will be more to some of them than people think as seen in this chapter.

Guest 2, it was just a bit of a joke on my part but I figured 18 wouldn't really have a high opinion on Dr. Gero after what he transformed her into.

As always, do leave a review as it does help me out. Compliments and constructive criticism are always welcome but I'll probably just be ignoring straight up flames without any reasoning.


	9. Chapter 9 - The Ox King's Final Request

**Chapter 9: The Ox King's Final Request**

The sun had almost completely set by the time Gohan had reached home. He had been flying slower to give himself time to think on today's events. The day had started off nicely and he was overjoyed that he was finally able to hang out with his friends after school. Even though he wasn't particularly fond of having to go shopping, the feeling of simply going to the mall like a regular teenager overwhelmed him. It just felt so… normal. Not to mention he even got to spend time alone with Videl as Gohan for more than five minutes.

For a while today she seemed to be more carefree and dare he say a little more feminine. It was a nice change from her usual tomboy image. Not that he didn't like her like that, in fact he had grown to admire her ferocity and strength even if she were a little bit stubborn. It kinda reminded him of his mother.

 _'Oh no Mother…'_

There was surely a smack of the dreaded frying pan waiting for him because he had come home late. Maybe he could try to get out of it by saying he had been hanging out with a girl but he reconsidered. With how Chi Chi generally had a habit of overreacting that would have definitely make it worse. No, he would just have to tough it out and take the pain like a true Saiyan.

"Mum! Goten! I'm home" he called out as he opened the front door.

"We're in the kitchen" his Mother called out.

Gohan could smell the aroma of Chi Chi's cooking through the air as he walked towards the kitchen. It smelled good and boy after today's events, he sure was hungry. To his surprise his Mother and Brother weren't alone in the kitchen. Sitting at the table was a giant of a man and a much smaller girl with reddish brown hair. They both smiled at him as Gohan greeted them.

"Grandpa! Lime! What are you doing here?"

"Am I not allowed to visit my Daughter and Grandchildren?" the Ox King jested.

Gohan smiled and moved over to hug his Grandfather.

"No, it's good to see you. You too Lime."

Lime smiled and hugged him as well. They had been friends for a long time, one of the few friends he had his age ever since Gohan saved her from drowning in that river before the Cell Games. While he didn't always have the time to visit her due to Chi Chi's constant need for her son to study, Lime was always welcome in the Son Household. Lime's parents had passed away a year after the Cell Games in an accident and a few years later her Grandfather Mr. Lao soon followed due to old age. With nowhere to go and no onelook after her, the Ox King took pity on her and since she was a friend of Gohan he took her in.

Lime while happy about having somewhere to live wanted to pull her own weight so the Ox King took her on as his personal assistant. It worked for her just fine and the old monarch treated her well, almost as if she were his own Granddaughter. Chi Chi also treated Lime well but for some reason unknown to Gohan she had never entertained the fact that Lime could be a potential girl for her eldest child. Not that Gohan thought of Lime that way, he loved her as a friend and maybe like a sister but there was no romantic attraction for him. Gohan just found it a little odd that while Chi Chi would always joke about when Gohan would get married and give her Grandchildren she never used Lime in her teasing.

"Sit down, Gohan" the Ox King directed.

Gohan quickly plopped himself down beside his Grandfather and Goten who had been making funny faces at Lime as Chi Chi placed the remaining plates of food on the table for dinner. There something a little strange about his Mother this evening. She seemed a little less vibrant. Even Lime looked like she was a little down about something and other than smiling when greeting him, she and the Ox King had kept straight faces. There was a sense of sadness in the air in the Son House. Except for Goten, he was pretty much always cheerful.

"Is something wrong?" Gohan asked.

The Ox King simply placed his hand on Gohan's shoulder and gave him a reassuring smile.

"We'll discuss it after dinner" he said.

As soon as Chi Chi gave the go ahead to eat, Goten began tearing into his meal as any growing Saiyan would. Extremely quickly and with no sense of table manners. Gohan ate his meal a little slower. Something felt a little off. When they had finished their meal (and after several burps and exclamations of "Ah that was good" from Goten) Gohan turned to his Grandfather.

"What's wrong Grandpa?" he asked.

Chi Chi sent Goten outside to play in the front yard as The Ox King took a deep breath and thought of the best way he could give his Grandson the news. He had always been close with Gohan. Though he loved both his Grandchildren (and Lime) dearly, Gohan was his first and oldest. With Goku gone, the Ox King had taken a more paternal role in the boy's upbringing and would help him get through the kid's long days of studying under Chi Chi's tutelage. Gohan had always made his Grandfather proud. He was extremely smart, stronger than anyone in the world and had a compassionate heart. The qualities he knew that Gohan would need for what he was about to ask of him.

"I'm dying, Gohan" he stated "Not right now but… according to the doctors I have possibly two to three years to live."

Both Chi Chi and Lime's eyes began to water as the Ox King talked. Gohan seemed devastated. While he was used to death from his experiences in the past he wasn't used to it this way. The thought of someone passing away due to natural causes was a little foreign to him. Other than Mr. Lao three years ago, he had 0 experiences with it.

"Do… do you know how?" he asked with a lump caught in his throat.

The Ox King sighed.

"I'm sure you've read about Gigantism in one of your books. I've had it since I was a boy and while it gave me great strength, it also eventually started to take its toll on my body. I was able to slow down the damage it was doing to me body through training and spiritual arts under Master Roshi but it seems it has finally caught up to me."

Several tears streamed down Gohan's face as he quickly hugged his Grandfather.

"It's okay, my boy" the Ox King said "I have made my peace with it. I have lived a good life and to see you grow into the man you are has given me enough happiness"

"I still…" he weakly croaked "it's hard for me to take in."

The Ox King patted his Grandson's back.

"Of course, it's only natural but I need you to be strong. I didn't just come here to tell you I'm dying."

Gohan broke the embrace from his Grandfather and looked up at him.

"What is it?"

"Will you grant an old man one final wish?"

Gohan readily agreed. How could he deny his Grandfather? Whatever it is, he was sure he could do it.

"My Kingdom has been thriving once again for over a decade" the Ox King began to explain "We have much wealth and trade and of course the people are living happily but…"

"Grandfather?" Gohan asked as the Ox King paused.

"But they will still need a leader after I am gone. Someone who can lead them into the modern age. Someone with the intellect to see to all the Kingdom's affairs, someone with the strength and resolve to do what is necessary and of course, someone with a compassionate heart that would care for the wellbeing of every single citizen down to the last child."

Gohan could sense what was coming. He had wondered if his Mother had put the Ox King up to this as he knew that she had no interest in the throne. From anyone that knew them, the next logical choice would be…

"I wish to abdicate my throne to you, Gohan" the Ox King finished.

There it was. He knew that the Ox King was leading towards this conclusion.

"But Grandfather, I don't know anything about running a kingdom nor do the people even know who I am."

The Ox King rested his hand on Gohan's shoulder and reassured him.

"Do not worry, my boy. I wouldn't be crowning you king straight away. I will give you time to learn the ins and outs of the Ox Kingdom. Perhaps a year will be fine."

Gohan sighed deeply. He wasn't sure if he really want this. While he knew that this was a possibility he had never truly thought about him ruling. It just wasn't something he felt like he was ready to do. But how could he deny the final wish of his dying Grandfather.

"You'll help me?" Gohan asked.

The Ox King nodded.

"Of course. You didn't think I would just hand you the throne without showing you a thing or two?"

Gohan glanced towards his Mother and Lime who smiled at him in comfort.

"Alright" Gohan said "I'll do it for you, Grandpa."

"Good. Good" the Ox King said as he took his Grandson in for another embrace.

"There is… one more thing."

Gohan looked up to see a nervous look on his Grandfather's face. He turned to his Mother who seemed to have a devious glint in her eye as Lime cautiously backed away.

"Uhh… yes?" Gohan asked.

His Mother suddenly prepped up from her sorrowful mood and held her son by his shoulders.

"A King's going to need a Queen" she said.

Gohan's eyes opened wide. Oh no, he had just had two bombs dropped onto him and felt a third one coming down. Of course his Mother would have something like this already planned. And where would he even find a potential consort?

"Don't you think that's a little early?" he said.

"Nonsense!" Chi Chi shouted "In fact, we already have the girl for you!"

Gohan took a massive gulp. They already found one? That was extremely quick. What was she like? Would they even get along? And more importantly, why was he even considering this without putting up a fight.

"Mum! Don't you think it's a little early for me to be finding a girl?"

Chi Chi shook her head as she held her son in place who was squirming around in her grasp.

"No way! I've been planning this for seven years and it's finally happening!"

Another torrent of saliva made its way down Gohan's thought. Had she really been thinking about this all this time? He knew that his Mother always had the idea of his wedding floating around in her head. He didn't think she was serious about it, at least, he thought she was only joking or trying to gently push him along to try and find a girl. But no, she was dead set serious.

"So… you've already found someone?" he nervously asked.

"Of course! Her Father and I agreed to this betrothal seven years ago!

"And you didn't think to tell me?"

"And what good would that have done? You probably would've ran away or stayed in that godforsaken funk that you slipped in after Cell."

Gohan's mind flashed back to the several months after Cell's defeat. He was definitely not himself during that time. He had partially been blaming himself for not finishing the fight when he could giving Cell the opportunity to blow up the planet, a mistake his Father paid for when he saved them all. Even with the amount of effort Chi Chi and the Ox King put in to making Gohan smile, it didn't happen til months later when Goten was born. From then on Gohan's mind managed to move pass his depression and began to focus on helping his Mother raise Goten.

"I.. I know I wasn't the best at that time but.. you could have told me afterwards."

Chi Chi wrapped her arms around her eldest son and hugged him. His eyes glanced over towards his Grandfather and Lime who both had looks of apprehension on their faces.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart but we both know you would never have go ahead with it until now. And I didn't want to distract you from your studies."

"I see… can I at least know who this girl is that you picked for me? I am supposed to marry her after all."

"So you'll marry her then?!" Chi Chi quickly beamed.

"That's not what I meant Mum."

"But it'll be so wonderful! I can just imagine it now."

"Mum that's not the point. Who is she?"

Chi Chi shook her head.

"Oh no I'm not telling you now. I know how you are. You'll go look her up and try and talk her out of coming and then you'll distance yourself from everyone for a bit."

 _'Damn'_ Gohan thought _'I wasn't even thinking about that but I guess it's something I would do'_

"I just want to know about her" he said.

Chi Chi held his hand in hers.

"You'll find out this weekend. Trust me, I think you two would get along" she said with almost a little smirk on her face.

Gohan hesitated for a moment and considered asking more questions but it was clear he wasn't going to get anywhere. Once his Mum had her eyes set on anything it was full steam ahead with no stops. And he was only 17, he wasn't ready to be married yet. Maybe he could talk to this mystery girl to put a stop to this or at least slow it down. Whoever she was.

"Mum do I have to?" he asked with a pout, maybe the Son family look could appeal to her.

"Oh no you don't young man. Don't you give me that look. You're going to marry this girl and she's going to be the perfect Queen for you!"

 _'Well, can't say I didn't try…'_

"Besides…"

Gohan winced as Chi Chi began to talk with hearts in her eyes, here it comes…

"I'm starting to reach that age when I should be expecting Grandchildren!"

The Ox King and Lime laughed nervously at the Son Household's Matron.

 _'Yep… there it is'_

* * *

Meanwhile in Satan City, a black haired girl had just opened the door to the large mansion she lived in. It had been a long day and a lot had happened. Her investigation on Pardus and the appearance of that Jaguar symbol again would have to wait til the next time she got more information. Right now she just needed rest. Before she could ascend the stairs and make her way to her room she heard her Father calling out to her.

"Sweet Pea! Can you come here for a moment?"

 _'Ugh, I just want to go lie down'_ she complained in her head.

She made her way to her Father's study where he often spent his free time, usually drinking or watching his past victories. Could the man have anything bigger than his ego?

"What is it, Daddy?"

There was an aura of nervousness surrounding Hercule Satan. While her Father was always a little more distant at home, in public he always had an air of confidence and pride in whatever he had to say.

"I heard about what happened at the Mall. Are you okay?" he asked.

Her Father sounded a lot more concerned this time. Normally whenever he asked about her police work he would clamour with praise saying that "of course Videl's okay! She's my daughter after all and I'm the Strongest Man Alive!". His demeanour . Was it because she had found herself in much more dangerous situations than before. It was true, over the past year the Police had grown overly reliant on Videl and maybe it had started to worry her Dad more. But he'd only started acting like this today . Maybe it was the appearance of the Gold Fighter that spooked him.

"Yeah I'm fine, Dad" she said.

"Good" he replied "Did you manage to have fun at the mall though? You know, with Gohan and that?"

 _'Gohan and that? He knows that I was with Erasa and Sharpner too but why is he only naming Gohan? Is he still going on about the fact that he's a boy and I was with him?'_

"Um yeah it was good. We just bought some things and ate" she replied, trying to hide the things she saw and felt around Gohan today. Why was she feeling that way anyways?

"I see…"

There seemed to be something on Mr. Satan's mind. What it was Videl was unsure if she wanted to know what it was. She had had a long day and needed to get some sleep to get her mind off of things.

"Um if that's all you wanted to talk about I'll be go…"

"Wait!" her Father called out before she could leave.

"Videl I… you might want to um, sit down for this."

Videl sat down hesitantly across from her Father. He seemed incredibly unsure of what he wanted to say or how he would say it.

"Is everything okay, Daddy?" she asked.

"Sweetheart… you know you're the most important thing in my life, right?"

Videl nodded. Though she and her Father had grown a part in the past few years and it seemed that he was always too busy for her, she knew that deep down he did care deeply about her. Even if he showed it once every blue moon.

"I want you to know that… I did this with the best intentions."

Hercule's voice was getting softer. He really didn't know how to tell Videl this. Knowing the explosive temper she could have at times she get incredibly angry and probably run away from home. But he had made a promise and he owed it to them to try and at least keep it.

"What did you do, Dad?" Videl asked.

"I… I'll tell you a story first I guess."

Hercule was unsure if he should tell Videl the whole story including the part about him defeating Cell being a lie. His heart had begun to beat faster as sweat dripped down his forehead. Why couldn't he just tell her? Noticing her Dad's state, Videl decided to speak up.

"Dad just… tell me what you can if it's too hard for you."

Videl wasn't the type of person to just let an answer go to a question she had, especially if it piqued her interest. But she had learnt restraint over the past month when trying to gain information. It had been the best way to make sure she didn't scare Gohan off.

"It happened seven years ago, around the time of the Cell Games" Hercule managed to stammer out.

This definitely caught Videl's attention. She thought she had learnt all she could from her Father when she was young as she constantly pestered him for information. When she thought she either knew everything she could or her Father denied knowing something (like who the Delivery Boy was) she gave up. Was she going to tell him something she didn't know?

"I was in a tight spot and… well someone got me out of it" he continued "It was the Royal Family of the Ox Kingdom."

Now Videl for sure was interested. Just earlier that day she recalled Pardus blabbing about her Father and the Ox King. She was unsure if this was related to what Pardus mentioned. Regardless, she continued to listen to her Father's story.

"I guess you could say that if it weren't for them I wouldn't be here today. I owed them a life debt."

This was the first Videl had heard of this. Her Father was the Strongest Man Alive, the Man who beat Cell. Though she had her doubts about that, it was what the world believed and she knew her Father was strong. If something happened where he almost died then it must have been big. Maybe it was related to the Delivery Boy? She then remembered that Pardus had said the Ox King was being hassled by his Father and that her own Father had intervened on the monarch's behalf. Maybe that debt was paid?

"Dad did you ever… help the Ox King with anything?"

Hercule was taken aback. Did Videl know the Ox King or something to do with him?

"Yes a few years ago there was a business that wanted to claim some important areas of land that the Ox King had under his protection"

 _'So what Pardus was saying was true. That means there will probably be more people like the ones that we fought earlier'_

"Do you know something, Videl?" Hercule asked uneasily.

"There was a guy at the mall earlier, the one that started the explosions. He mentioned something like that to me but I wasn't sure if he was just making things up or not."

 _'Damn it'_ Hercule thought _'I don't know if they're targeting Videl to get to me or not'_

"Do you remember who it was you had to help the Ox King with?"

Hercule began to think carefully. Damn why couldn't remember the names of some people. He remembered Gohan being the Delivery Boy's name out of everyone but couldn't remember anything else. Maybe it was all the heavy drinking he had been doing. Then again, it wasn't like you could forget a kid like that.

"I think it was like Onga or Onca or something? Onca Industries I don't know, I don't remember."

Videl frowned. How do you help out an important person like the Ox King and forget who you helped him with. Typical Dad.

"Was this debt fulfilled then?" Videl asked "Since you helped out the Ox King after he helped you."

"Not exactly. The Ox King's Daughter Chi Chi asked me for something else and… I couldn't say no. I mean, I owed them everything after all."

"What did she ask for? Money? She's royalty so I doubt she'd need that. Connections? You are the World Champion after all. Did she need to get a word in somewhere?"

Hercule shook his head and took a deep breath. This was it.

"She… asked for you to marry her son."

There was silence as if everything in the room had stopped moving. You could hear the little breaths Videl was taking.

"… what?" she asked.

She looked upset. Hercule prepared himself for the incoming outburst.

"And.. and you agreed?! Dad how could you do that without even asking me first."

Hercule winced as Videl shot out of her chair and began shouting even louder.

"You just decided that it would be okay to just marry me off like that? I don't even know the guy. Knowing how royals can be he's probably some stuck up asshole who thinks he's too good for the world."

"Now Sweetie please I'm sure he's nothing li-"

"No Dad! I can't believe you. What happened that rule you made about boys needing to be stronger than you to even think about me? Or was that just some bullshit excuse you made so I wouldn't try and run off with some guy."

"Videl we both know that you were never interested in boys."

"That's not the point!" she snapped back "I just can't… your own daughter… and you didn't tell even me."

A few tears streamed down her face. She had always hated the fact that she was the World Saviour's daughter sometimes. It made her look like a prize for any suitor and while she wouldn't give any man a second glance she didn't just want to be given out like some cheap consolation.

"I'm really sorry Videl but... I made a promise and I thought it… it would be best for you."

Tears had begun to prick into Hercule's eyes. He felt like crap. She was all he had left and she felt like she was just being given away. What's worse is that he couldn't bring himself to tell her what really happened. The reason why it was the Ox King's family. The lie that he had to live with every single day since Kami asked him to.

"Dad I'm just… I don't know…" she whimpered.

"Come on, I've always said you're my little Princess. Now you'll be a Princess for real!" Hercule joked, trying to defuse a little tension.

"Is that supposed to convince me?"

"Videl you know I only want what's best for you and the Ox King… he's not a bad man. His daughter might be a little rough around the edges but I know that her son is a brave and kind person."

"You've met him? What's he like then?"

"I uh… I've only seen him from a distance once and he's a good kid. At least when I last saw him."

Hercule couldn't bring himself to say that it could be her friend Gohan. How many Gohans could there be in the world? It wasn't exactly a common name but then again neither was Videl.

"And when was that?" Videl asked.

"Seven years ago… heh sure is a long time" Hercule laughed nervously.

 _'That sure is a long time'_ Videl thought.

Her Dad might not be the best judge of character but he said the guy was brave and kind. But how could she be sure that he hadn't changed? Or if it was even true in the first place. And why was she suddenly considering this all of a sudden.

"Videl…" Hercule began to say "I know it's asking a lot of you but I made a promise and…"

He took her hands and held them into his own.

"It would mean a lot to me if you at least met with them and go from there. I'm not going to force you into it if you get to know the guy and still don't like him after a while but please at least try. It's the last thing I'll ever ask of you"

Videl sighed. No matter how tough she may be, she was always going to be 'Daddy's Little Girl'. She could at least give it a try, for him.

"Fine Daddy, I'll meet him at least"

"That's all I'm asking from you, we'll fly to the Ox Kingdom Saturday morning."

Videl kissed her Dad on the cheek as he held her in a loving embrace. How he wish everything would just work out but knowing him, everything that could go wrong, might go wrong. How would Videl take the news about her fiancé being the Delivery Boy. He then remembered what he had requested from her earlier.

"Uh Videl" he said as she began to make her way out of the room.

"Yes, Daddy?"

"Your friend… Gohan um, I still want to meet him tomorrow."

Now this was weird. Sure her Dad had shown an interest in Gohan earlier today but that was before he dropped this bombshell onto her. He had promised her hand to someone else and now wanted to meet another guy? Her mind lingered on Gohan for a moment.

 _'Earlier today was nice'_ she thought.

She had just began to relax around Gohan and for some reason unknown to her, she felt like she wanted to get closer to him. But how would that happen now if she had been promised to someone else? Why was she contemplating so much about this? And what of the Delivery Boy? What about her longstanding crush on him. Was she just supposed to forget about it and move on?

 _'Maybe I won't have to go through with this if this Prince turns out to be a jerk'_ she thought.

"Uh yea I'll ask him at school" she said "I'm going to go get some rest now."

"Of course, Sweet Pea."

Hercule sighed and slumped back into his chair as Videl left him there, alone in the dimly lit room.

 _'I couldn't tell her everything'_ he cried inside _'I should have but I couldn't.'_

Videl hurriedly made her way to her bed and flopped down onto the softness of her mattress. It had been an incredibly long and eventful day. All these thoughts and feelings she had could mess anyone up. Her thoughts drifted between the two men that had seemed to find their way into her life and wondered if the soon to be third addition was anything like them. This was definitely something she didn't need. What she really need now was rest. She shut her eyes and hoped that she could have the peaceful sleep she knew she needed.

* * *

Author's Notes:

People seem to have a bit of an issue with how I've portrayed Gohan's power level which is fine, if you feel he's a bit weak then yea I can see that but while he is still strong, not training regularly (and not having people to push him towards higher limits) wouldn't raise his strength as much as some people think. Keep in mind that a Saiyan gets stronger after every battle, especially if it's near death and Gohan doesn't train like that, at least not often enough.

In terms of his power versus these enemies, there IS a reason why they're powerful enough and that will be explained in future chapters. For now, please bear with me for a while until we get to that point in the story.

As always, do leave a review if you like it or wish to let me know about something.


	10. Chapter 10 - Clueing In

**Chapter 10: Clueing In**

It was early Friday morning and the birds that nested in the tree just above Gohan's window were chirping loudly. Gohan turned over in his bed and groaned. He had barely gotten a wink of sleep last night. Yesterday had been a very long and tiresome day and he was still having to come to terms with things. Deciding that he wasn't going to get anymore sleep, he got up and began to get ready for the day.

"Morning…" he mumbled as he walked into the kitchen where his Mother was cooking breakfast.

"You're up early, Gohan."

"Yeah I couldn't get much sleep. I guess there's a lot on my mind" he replied as he sat down at the table.

Chi Chi placed the food on the table and put a hand on her tired son's shoulder.

"Gohan I know yesterday was a lot for you to take in but… you're strong and kind. I know you can do this."

Gohan smiled up at his Mother. As strict and overbearing as Chi Chi could be, he knew that she just wanted what was best for him and would always love him no matter what. He quickly ate his breakfast and flew to school quickly. It was the first time in a while that he was early. As he touched down in his usual abandoned alley he saw Sharpner get out of his hover car.

"Hey dude" he said, greeting his dark haired friend.

"Hey…" Gohan grumbled out, he was still feeling quite tired.

"You okay?" Sharpner asked with concern "You look a little out of it."

"Yeah I'm good, just had a long day yesterday and didn't get much sleep."

Yesterday had been one of the longest days he had in the past 7 years. It had started out so well with an easy day at school followed by his first real outing with friends his age. Then there was the fight with Pardus and his goons. He hadn't even had a chance to investigate yet with everything that followed. Finding out his Grandfather was a dying man had been one of the harder things for him to accept but he had to. He had to be strong for what his Grandfather had asked of him. He was to be King and he wasn't sure if he was ready at all. Sure he was told he would be taught how but how would anyone be okay if they were put into his position. Not to mention there was still the issue of meeting his betrothed tomorrow. Oh boy was he not ready for that.

"Were you still at the mall when all those explosions happened? I heard Videl managed to stop them with the help of the Gold Fighter."

 _'Oh yeah I was there'_ Gohan thought.

"Yeah I was still there. Managed to get out before anything could happen though" he lied.

"Dang, lucky then. Did you see the Gold Fighter?"

Gohan nodded.

"Yeah I saw him."

The two walked together through the school hallways.

"Was he as strong as people say? Can he really do all those beams and shit?" Sharpner asked.

Gohan wondered if he should answer truthfully. It was a shame that everyone in the world basically believed Mr. Satan's rubbish about the ancient arts just being light shows and tricks. But as he had thought on it more over the years, he realised that it might be better that way. The world might not be able to handle the fact that there are people living amongst them that could easily blow up a city, heck even the whole planet. He thought of his friends. Maybe they would accept it if it were him that told them but he had only known them for a month. Maybe one day he'll tell them but for today, not yet.

"I didn't really see but there's no way he could really do all those things? It's just tricks right?" Gohan said, trying to sound his best to be convincing.

Gohan was never the best at lying. In fact more than often he'd just try and skirt around a question without actually answering it. It was something he had commonly done with Videl which usually earned him the ire of the teenage crime fighter.

"I guess so. Must be amazing to see though" Sharpner said.

Gohan was a little surprised to say the least. In the month that he had known him, Sharpner was definitely a fan of Mr. Satan. After all, most people were. But it seemed like he had a bit more of an open mind than people gave him credit for.

"Yeah" Gohan said "It must be…"

They walked into the classroom to find Erasa chatting away besides a slumped over Videl who was resting her head on her desk.

"Gohan!" Erasa yelled, almost shocking Videl out of her funk.

"What?" Gohan asked.

Erasa frowned at him and placed her hands on her hips.

"We spent how long yesterday buying you all those outfits and you wear your normal baggy clothes! You're just like Videl! I don't know why I even bother" she screeched.

"… sorry!" Gohan said sheepishly "I guess I forgot."

"Please stop shouting" Videl grumbled from inside her arms.

"What's wrong with her?" Sharpner asked as he took his seat.

"Didn't get much sleep" Erasa answered "Try not to bug her too much."

Sharpner smirked.

"Can't promise that, it's what I do best after all."

Videl's head popped up and sent Sharpner a glare that almost made the blonde wet himself. Guess he shouldn't do anything to piss Videl off if she was in that bad of a mood.

"You okay?" Gohan asked.

She looked up at Gohan and their eyes met. Videl's eyes seemed to be a little red and there were dark circles around her eyes. It seemed like she hadn't had much luck sleeping last night either and had she been… crying? She gave him a soft nod and put her head back in her arms. Today better go by nice, quickly and quietly.

Luckily enough for Videl, the morning went by rather uneventful and her three friends hadn't bothered her yet so far. That would all change at lunch time.

"Videl come on, I'm your best friend" Erasa whined "tell me what's wrong."

"I've just got a lot on my mind" Videl said, trying to get out of talking about what had happened yesterday.

"Videl… you honestly look terrible and I'm sure it'll do you a world of good if you talk to someone."

"I know, Erasa it's just… I just need time to collect my thoughts."

"Can I at least know what it's related to?"

Videl gave Erasa a questioning look.

"Let's just say someone's been making decisions for me."

"So your Dad then" Erasa guessed correctly.

While Erasa knew that Videl and her Father had grown a little distant over the past few years, everyone knew that Mr. Satan had high expectations of Videl. She was the heiress to his vast fortune after all. Everyone assumed she would eventually succeed him, especially when it came to Martial Arts.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Erasa asked.

She kind of already knew the answer. While they had been best friends since they were 5, Videl was never one to talk about how she felt. It just wasn't her way. She vented out frustrations and anger by absolutely destroying her gym punching bag (or in some cases whoever would take the place of said punching bag). Videl gave Erasa a weak smile as she shook her head.

"Maybe later but I'll get over it. I'm a Satan after all. We're the strongest family in the World" Videl said 'I'm not allowed to be weak' she mentally added.

Much to Videl's disappointment, there hadn't been a call yet about any crimes around the city. Oh how she would have loved to just pound her fists into whichever scum decided to try their luck today. It seems like they all got a warning this morning not to try anything while Videl Satan was in a bad mood.

 _'Just great'_ she thought.

The two girls made their way over to sit under their usual tree to find Gohan and Sharpner already sitting there. Sharpner was yammering away about some nonsense relating to working out while Gohan listened, absentmindedly playing with his food. At first Gohan had been a little self-conscious about his eating habits but the more he got to know his new friends, the more comfortable he became and would often eat close to how he would if he were at home.

 _'That's odd'_ Videl thought _'usually he'd be finishing it off by now.'_

Something seemed off with Gohan too. Videl would never admit it but she was a little worried. The two dark haired teens sat in silence eating as their two blonde friends continued chatting away. You could split them in half with one side full of vibrant colours and the other side, monochromatic and gloomy. Before they knew it, lunch time had just about ended.

"You coming?" Erasa asked Videl as the bubbly blonde and Sharpner began to make their way back to class.

"Go ahead, I'll catch up" Videl replied as she looked at Gohan who seemed to be deep in thought.

A minute of silence went by before Videl spoke up..

"Is everything okay?" she asked, finally breaking the silence.

Gohan was so in his train of thought that he completely missed the fact that he wasn't actually alone. Kind of shocked to see Videl there looking at him with a little bit of concern.

"Ye… yeah" he managed to stammer out though Videl seemed unconvinced.

"I… well" she began to say, not sure if she should be asking him after she herself had denied Erasa's attempt to know her problems.

What would people think as well? She had never shown any genuine concern for people her age other than Erasa, especially boys. Not even Sharpner and they had been friends for over a decade. And while she could say that she and Gohan were probably friends, they weren't nearly at that stage yet. What would happen if she started acting extremely buddy buddy with Gohan and the tabloids saw? Her thoughts drifted over to yesterday at the mall when Erasa and Sharpner had left. If anyone saw them two alone together they would probably think there was something going on when there wasn't. Maybe that's why Little Marron asked if she was Gohan's girlfriend.

"It's nothing, just some things on my mind" Gohan lied "I'll get over it. Come on, we should get to class."

Gohan picked up his bag and slowly began walking towards the school building when Videl grabbed his arm.

"Wait!" she said "I have to ask you something."

"Err sure what is it?"

"Um I don't know how to say this but…" Videl started to say "but don't get the wrong idea okay?"

Gohan tried to smile reassuringly.

"Alright I won't. What's up?"

Videl looked around to see if there was anyone around. People would definitely get the wrong idea if they heard what she was about to ask.

"Well it's like this um…"

Why was this so awkward and hard to ask? Her Dad just wanted to meet a friend. Nothing more than that. Maybe just to see if Gohan was worthy to be friends with a member of the Satan Household and not trying to get close to her for other reasons. Boys were the devil in Hercule Satan's eyes after all.

 _'Or were they'_ she asked herself.

Yesterday it felt like her Father had dropped a ten tonne anvil on her with the news that he had agreed to engage her to some prince. Seven years of 'no boys allowed' from her Dad then suddenly 'hey, you're gonna marry this dude'. At least he relented and said she could back out if she really couldn't see it working out. She didn't know why but she almost started to compare what she thought this prince was like to Gohan. At least Gohan was gentle and kind and almost way too nice for his own good.

"Videl" Gohan said with a friendly smile "you can tell me."

"Just don't get the wrong idea okay?" she repeated.

"I won't."

Videl took a deep breath. Why was this so hard to ask? It's not like she was going to introduce him to her Father as her boyfriend. They were just friends.

"My Dad kinda… wants to meet you" she mumbled.

Gohan was surprised to say the least. Why would Mr. Satan want to meet him? And did he even want to meet the World Champion. Gohan's opinion of Hercule wasn't all that high, to be honest. Not just because of him taking credit for defeating Cell. Gohan didn't care about that anymore. It was just his personality. He was loud, brash and cocky. He would badmouth the Z Fighters and their techniques, passing them off as tricks and light shows.

"Why does he want to meet me?" he questioned.

Videl gave a little shrug.

"I don't know to be honest. Maybe he just wants to get to know you because he thinks you're my friend."

"Do you really consider me as your friend?" Gohan asked, a tone of nervous apprehension in his voice.

"Yeah" Videl answered, almost hesitantly "I know I'm not that close with you as say we are with Erasa and Sharpner but yeah, I'd say you're my friend, Gohan."

Gohan smiled a much bigger smile than he had all day.

"Then I'll meet with your Dad" he said.

A small awkward smile appeared on her face. Was she hoping that he would decline the invitation to avoid having her Father embarrass her in front of a friend? Or did she actually want Gohan to meet him.

 _'Maybe it won't be so bad'_ she thought _'Dad's been a little less… himself lately.'_

Understatement of the year.

"Cool" she said "Come with me after school then?"

"After school then" he replied.

"Okay good, let's go, we still need to change for PE."

Gohan nodded and the two made their way to their gender's respective change rooms to join their classmates.

"Alright class, so we're finished with our baseball module and I can tell that a lot of you need work on your throwing skills as well as your agility" Coach K said.

He motioned the class towards a marked field with several ball sitting on the halfway line.

"We'll be playing dodgeball for a bit so we can work on those skills."

Gohan was a little nervous. He still hadn't forgotten about the incident on his first day when he accidentally hurt Erasa's finger just by simply throwing a ball at her. Now the actual aim for this game was for him to throw it at people, intending to hit them. He could probably get himself out of it by getting himself eliminated early on but both Videl and Sharpner would rag on him for days. They saw his body and to anyone with a brain, someone that fit would be amazing at dodgeball.

 _'Just great'_ he said.

What's worse was he had unfortunately been placed on the team opposite of both Videl and Sharpner. They were his friends and it was an unspoken rule that you either go easy on your friends if they were on the other team or you go all out against them. He wasn't sure about Sharpner but Videl would definitely choose the latter. Since Gohan had spent most PE classes with Erasa who was terrible at physical activities, he had managed to hide a lot of his strength, speed and power but there was very little chance he could get away with it this time unless he played his cards perfectly.

"Ready? Begin!" Coach K shouted as several members on each team sprinted to grab the ball first.

A frenzy of balls flew across the field with several kids out within the first 30 seconds including Erasa. Videl was particularly enjoying this. With everything that had been going on in her life, bombarding people with rubber balls seemed like a good way to let off some steam. One by one, Gohan's team began to dwindle until it was down to him and two others. Seeing that Videl's team had over double the amount of players, Gohan figured he had to do something. He wanted to just get himself caught out but for some reason as the game went on, he started getting a little competitive.

It started when one of the slower players on Videl's side threw a ball at Gohan that fell into his hands with ease.

 _'Okay, that was easy enough. Didn't need to show off anything'_ he thought.

He threw it as gently as he could.

 **WHACK!**

It smacked right on some poor girl's chest and knocked her off her feet.

 _'Shit'_ he cursed in his mind.

All the spectators looked at him with wonder. How was it that the scrawny looking nerd who looked like he had no physical prowess underneath those baggy clothes could throw a ball that hard? Erasa merely smirked. There was more to Gohan than everyone else knew. A smirk appeared on Videl's face too as she threw another ball at Gohan who promptly dodged it.

 _'This might be more fun than I thought'_ she remarked.

Sharpner meanwhile decided to focus on the other two players on Gohan's team. He threw the ball and managed to hit one of their shoulders, eliminating them. The ball ricocheted off the kid and bounced towards Gohan who quickly picked the ball up and threw it at another player, striking them on the thigh. As the game went on, Gohan and his teammate, a brown haired boy named Ruler had managed to stay alive while eliminating everyone on the other team save for Videl and Sharpner. Now the odds were even.

Ruler for some reason decided to hide behind Gohan, trying to use the Half Saiyan as a shield. Safe to say, he was a little scared of the two on the other team. Mostly Videl Satan.

"At the same time" Videl said to Sharpner who nodded.

The two of them threw the ball almost simultaneously at Gohan who jumped in mid-air, his body almost perfectly horizontal to the ground while spinning.

 **WHACK!**

He looked behind him to see Ruler sprawled out on the ground, a massive red spot on his face and lower leg.

 _'How the?'_ Videl wondered _'I know he's got the body of a god but there's no way he could just dodge something like that.'_

"Damn, nice moves Brains!" Sharpner complimented.

Suffice to say, Sharpner felt a little proud of Gohan. Originally he thought he was just an unimpressive nerd but as he got to know him, he started to learn a bit more about him. Just yesterday he saw Gohan's ripped as fuck body, almost as built as his but much leaner. He wondered if there was a lot more to Gohan's physical capabilities.

"Thanks!" Gohan called out as he picked up a ball.

Deciding to try and make it look like the other two would be as good as him, he threw a softer ball, almost off target towards Videl who jumped to the side to evade it.

 _'As expected'_ he thought.

He almost felt entranced watching her dodge as he threw another ball the same way at her. The way she was shimmying along, almost dancing around the throws looked incredibly attractive. It was starting to get a little distracting. His throws were starting to get a little weaker and lazier as he watched her move around.

'She looks… amazing' he thought.

While he was too busy watching her, he failed to notice Sharpner picking up one of the rolling balls and began to wind up a powerful throw. Gohan's eyes were almost completely locked on Videl who had started to pant a little after that display. She smirked at him, almost challenging him to try harder. He would have to if a spherical red object didn't come into view. Something or someone in his mind was telling him to dodge. He wondered what it was.

Then it hit him.

 **WHACK!**

The ball came in contact with Gohan's face and exploded. Gohan stood there as his classmates and Coach K stared at him.

"Are… are you okay, my boy?" Coach K asked.

Gohan simply nodded and scratched the back of his head.

"Err yeah I guess I wasn't watching haha" he laughed nervously.

 _'Shit, I was too busy looking at Videl that I completely let my guard down.'_

"Gohan!" Erasa called out "Is your face okay? Let me look."

She walked up to him and began to inspect his face. Videl and Sharpner soon followed, expecting red marks of soreness or maybe even a bit of blood from his nose but were surprised to see that he looked completely fine.

 _'What is going on? He just took one of Sharpner's fast balls to the face like it was nothing'_ Videl thought.

"Dude, you must have a really hard head" Sharpner joked.

Gohan laughed.

"Yeah my mother can attest to that."

"Gohan look at your face compared to Manila's over there" Videl pointed out.

Gohan where her finger was directing and noticed the girl he had knocked over earlier. There was a massive red mark on her neck and collarbones. He noticed Ruler who had taken those two shots earlier started to get a little bit of bruising where he was hit.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Erasa asked again.

Gohan nodded.

"Of course, don't worry about it!"

Videl seemed unconvinced. It may have just been rubber balls but at the speed that Sharpner, who was the Star Pitcher of the High School Baseball Team, threw it at and with it exploding in Gohan's face, there was no way there wouldn't be at least the faintest sign of damage. Not to mention the way he was dodging the balls they were throwing at him. The rest of the class began to move towards the change rooms to get ready for their next class as Videl continued to inspect Gohan. She was just about to interrogate him more when her watch started beeping.

 _'Perfect timing'_ she sighed sarcastically _'but at least I finally get some action.'_

"Go ahead, chief."

"Videl! We've got a group of hijackers that have taken over a bus full of elderly patrons! I've got a few cars chasing but we're stretched thin after yesterday! We could really use your help!"

"On my way" Videl stated before running off to a clear area to decapsulize her jetcopter.

"Tell the teacher I had to go! I'll try to be back as soon as I can!" she yelled back to her friends.

The two blondes understood and began walking back to the change room when Gohan spoke up.

"Hey guys I'll catch up. I think that throw hurt my head a little more than I thought so I'm going to go to the nurse" he said, running off.

"Sure thing Gohan but the nurse is the other way!" Erasa yelled but to no avail.

Gohan had already vanished around the corner.

* * *

Videl's jetcopter sped through the air as she tried to catch up to the hijacked bus. What kind of criminal scum would target the elderly? The chief had briefed her that the three hijackers weren't particularly dangerous but had managed to escape a robbery when they noticed a bus full of retired citizens on some sort of field trip. The police didn't want to endanger the innocent elders so they had no choice but to let them escape and chase them down. She had asked the Chief where Officer Krillin was, hoping to see the former World Martial Arts Tournament contestant in action but was disappointed to hear that he wouldn't actually be starting til the next week and currently lived out of town.

As Videl homed in on the bus that was being followed by three patrol cars. Just as she closed in, a hijacker began shooting at the police car's tires, bursting them. She pulled out a pair of binoculars and zoomed in the speeding vehicle.

 _'There's one big guy driving the bus, one beside him at the front and another at the back'_ she surveyed.

Looking at their weapons, it seemed like they had a few hand guns and one sub machine gun on the guy at the back. That person would be the best one to take out first. It seemed that the two at the front were arguing. Good, she could use that to her advantage. As she descended, the thug with the sub machine gun noticed her and began to fire at the speeding jetcopter.

"It's Videl!" cried a man in excitement.

"We're as good as saved!" another added on.

"Shut it, old fart!" the man with the sub machine gun shouted as he continued firing.

Videl expertly barrel rolled her jet as it dodged the incoming spray of bullets. As the man began to reload his gun, Videl thrust her plane downwards and hovered it over the bus and set it on autopilot.

 _'Here I go!'_

Videl jumped out the moving jetcopter and used the bottom railing to swing her into the open window that the hijacker had been shooting from. Using the strong momentum of the swing, Videl's foot collided with the man's face as she viciously kicked him into unconsciousness.

"YOU!" one of the criminals at the front screamed as he raised his pistol to shoot her.

"WHY WOULD YOU KIDNAP OLD PEOPLE YOU PUNKS" Videl yelled.

The bus jolted off the road with a bump causing his aim to go off, firing into the ceiling instead of the black haired crime fighter. Seeing an opening, Videl sprung forward and clocked the man with a two punch combo, effectively putting him out of commission to the cheers of the senior citizens.

"I'VE HAD A BAD DAY SO JUST LIE DOWN QUIETLY."

Suddenly the hijacker driving the bus moved to grab her, not thinking about where the bus was going. Videl dodged his slow attempt at subduing her and hit him with a powerful uppercut. The large man staggered backwards, nudging the gear shift as his gun wedged itself in the steering wheel and his large body fell against the accelerator pedal.

"Okay how the fu-" Videl cursed.

She tried to move his body but he was way too heavy to lift and his giant shoulder seemed to have lodged itself between the pedals. A bump in their path shocked Videl as she looked ahead. The bus was heading right over a cliff. She gave another attempt at pulling the man off but he wouldn't budge. Videl gasped as she bus continued on its course and flew off the cliff, the old people began to shout .

 _'Shit shit shit'_ she continued to curse _'I was too careless.'_

As the vehicle plummeted down, Videl began to cover her eyes with her hands, just narrowly missing the golden flash that had sped past the window.

 _'I failed these people'_ she cried _'I wasn't strong enou…'_

Her thought was cut off when she felt the bus no longer falling, almost like it was gently stopping.

 _'But that's impossible, that fall should have resulted in a crash unless…'_

She moved to peer out the window to see if her hunch was right. As her head made its way through the open frame she was met with the teal eyes of her frequent saviour. A wave of relief and defeat came over her. Yes she was happy that she and the elderly were all alright but she couldn't help but feel disappointed in herself that she had been careless again and it almost cost her. It almost seemed that the Gold Fighter always bailed her out time after time. She had grown to be thankful of him, she wouldn't be alive if he wasn't there but she couldn't help but feel a little… useless almost.

She had admitted the day before that she wasn't strong enough and needed help. Something hard to admit and today proved it again. She hated feeling like a damsel in distress sometimes. But slowly the thought crept into her head and she began to accept it. Even the best need a helping hand.

She watched as the Gold Fighter effortlessly carried the bus back up the cliff. He had always been a get in, finished job, get out kind of guy who never really stayed around so she used the time to study him even more. His teal eyes, golden hair and impressive physique were well known but she had never really paid attention to the rest of his body. His body armour was definitely foreign to her, almost looking like something out of a science fiction movie. His chiselled chest seemed like it was going to burst the tight chest piece open.

 _'Please do. It'll brighten up my day'_ she mentally stated before kicking herself for even thinking about something like that.

Her eyes hovered over his arms. They were incredibly toned and well defined. Something instantly drew her attention. The Gold Fighter had a large scar running down from his left shoulder to the point of his elbow. Where had she seen that before? She remembered yesterday when she saw Gohan's shirtless body for a split second. He had a scar there too. The more she thought on it, the more she noticed some similarities.

Now that she had seen Gohan's body, she noticed that their build was pretty much the same. Well defined, toned, chiselled and dreamy.

 _'Wait what?'_

She shook that last thought out of her head. The scar was almost exactly the same too. Even his hair, if you dyed the Gold Fighter's black. Was Gohan actually the Gold Fighter? She always had that suspicion lingering in the back of her mind since that first day. There was too many coincidences but she needed hard proof. Videl had been so deep in thought that she didn't notice the bus was sitting safely on a flat piece of land.

"Are you okay, Videl?" a voice asked.

She looked up to see the Gold Fighter standing in front of her, his teal eyes filled with concern.

"… Yeah I've just had a long week" she replied.

"Maybe you should take the weekend off" he said "You deserve the rest after all."

She took a deep breath. Maybe she did deserve to rest for a few days. She was seriously contemplating the thought of it when she remembered she had to go to the Ox Kingdom tomorrow. No doubt that it would be a taxing affair but at least she wouldn't have to exert much effort fighting and jumping out of planes.

"Thanks" she managed to say.

"What for?"

"For saving me… and everything else" she said with a soft smile.

"You're welcome. Just have you thought about an answer to my question from yesterday yet?" the Gold Fighter asked.

She shook her head. She hadn't given it too much thought yet as she had been so busy.

"No not yet. I'll let you know when I do."

Gohan placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Good. I'll find you when I know you've got an answer."

With that he took off into the sky and disappeared onto the distance. Videl looked down at her watch. School was about to end in 20 minutes.

 _'Oh shit I forgot I have to go bring Gohan home!'_ she exclaimed, not thinking about the implications of her thoughts.

She quickly found her jetcopter that had automatically parked itself on the side and jumped in, speeding off back to school, hoping that Gohan would forgive her if she was late.

* * *

Author's Notes:

Mr. Me2, yea when I first started, I kinda wanted to get out as much as I could at first so there would be enough for people to read and I've had a bad habit for a while of doing things (like releasing chapters) as soon as I'm able to. I don't have a Beta reader, actually to be honest I'm not all that sure how to go about that because I'm still pretty new to how this site works.

As for the enemies, I do have my villains already thought up (and also as to why some beings are a bit stronger than they are). It won't be something completely new and though I don't want to give away much right now, the end Villain(s) are existing characters. I will say this just so it doesn't seem like some random ass pull or that I'm nerfing Gohan too much, the reason those two could act least take damage from Ki blasts and continue on despite suffering what would be a fatal blow is because of their genetic make up.

Thanks for giving me quite a few pointers and critiques though, I do appreciate it.

Guest, glad to hear you're enjoying reading it so far. Videl will certainly start picking up on it more and more as the clues come to her, don't worry about that.

Tactician, sounds like that'd be an interesting story, maybe you should roll with it!

As always, do leave a review to let me know your thoughts such as constructive criticism (again, straight up flames will be ignored but if there's something you think should be addressed, I'm open to it with reasonings) or even if you just want to let me know you're enjoying the story so far.

I've slowed down updates a bit just so I don't get too burnt out. As of right now (16th of August), I have about 2 chapters ahead of this written and I'm still writing so you can expect maybe one or two chapters a week if I keep my current flow going. Thanks again, my dudes.


	11. Chapter 11 - The Trouble with Parents

**Chapter 11: The Trouble with Parents**

Videl's jetcopter landed on the roof just as the school bell rang. She hurriedly made her way downstairs to look for Gohan but was surprised to see Erasa and Sharpner walking out of the class without him.

"Where's Gohan?" she asked.

Sharpner shrugged.

"Brains ran off to the nurse's office. Said he wanted to get that head knock checked out."

"Though he ran in the complete opposite direction" Erasa added.

That was a little confusing for Videl. Gohan was quirky to say the least and had a habit of being late or disappearing for extended periods of time. She never understood that about him and felt a little suspicious about it.

"Why you looking for him anyways?" Sharpner asked.

"Oh!" Videl said breaking her thoughts "I was gonna take him home to meet Daddy."

She covered her mouth when she realized her choice of words. She looked at Erasa who had a massive smirk on her face.

"Introducing him to your Father already, Videl? My my" she laughed.

Videl's cheeks started to flare red.

"That's not what I meant!" My Dad just wanted to meet him, okay? It was his idea."

"Are you sure you're not trying to get Daddy to meet the other kind of Daddy?" Sharpner joked.

 _ **WHACK**_

A massive lump appeared on Sharpner's head as he slumped over against a row of lockers.

"Don't say things like that!" Videl screeched as she began to walk away.

Erasa laughed as she moved to follow her best friend leaving a dazed Sharpner behind them.

"So what's this about really?" she asked in a playful tone.

Videl gave her a strong glare.

"Erasa I know what you're thinking, it's not like that. My Dad's just been acting weird this week and out of the blue he asked to meet Gohan."

"Does that have to do with why you were upset this morning?"

Videl shook her head.

"No it's not. That's something else that I'm still trying to wrap my head around."

Erasa linked her arms with Videl's and gave her a smile.

"Promise to tell me about it when you're ready?"

"I'll try" Videl replied as they walked out of the school building to find Gohan standing outside waiting.

"How's your head?" Erasa asked.

"My head?" Gohan wondered with a confused face "Oh right my head, it's alright, I guess I was just shocked."

Videl eyed him with suspicion.

"You take the star pitcher's fast ball to the face, it explodes and you're just shocked?"

Gohan's sweat dropped. Why was he always like this around Videl and no one else? It was like she had this strange effect on him.

"Err yeah" he mumbled "it was just a rubber ball anyways."

Videl continued to glare at Gohan when Erasa spoke up.

"Well I'll leave you two love birds alone, I have to get home. Bye!" she said with a cheerful wave.

"Erasa!" both yelled.

A few moments of awkward silence filled the air until one of the two spoke up.

"So… how are we getting to your house?" Gohan asked.

Videl threw out her jetcopter.

"Here. Let's just get this over wi-" she stopped in her tracks as she looked at her fuel gauge.

"What's wrong?"

"Ugh I forgot to fill up this morning and that little crime I stopped earlier used up all of my fuel"

"Err so how will we be going then?"

Videl decapsulized her plane and looked at Gohan questioningly.

"You don't have your ride?"

Gohan shook his head, not realizing what he was about to admit.

"Nope, I…" he halted mid-sentence.

 _'Shit shit, I've always flown to and from school and she never managed to catch or ask me until now. Shit what do I say?'_

"Well?" Videl questioned

"Err I didn't bring it today."

Videl's eyebrows raised in confusion.

"You live like what 2 or 3 hours away and didn't bring a ride? How were you going to get home then?"

"I was um" Gohan paused to think of a believable story "I was meant to go to a family friend's later today and was going to get picked up there."

He lied to Videl but she seemed to buy the story.

"Fine, I guess we'll have to walk then."

The two began to walk towards Videl's house as Gohan followed her.

"Is it far?" he asked.

"Not really, maybe 40 minutes. I use my jet because it's more convenient."

"I see."

The first 5 minutes was filled with complete silence as neither teen knew what to say to the other. Gohan particularly was nervous especially because he had to meet Mr. Satan in a little while. How would he be able to hide his emotions if the man decided to rile him up? How would Videl react? They were friends and he wanted to keep it that way.

"Is… everything alright?" Videl asked, seeing him looking a little nervous.

"Heh yeah it's ok I'm just a little nervous. Meeting the World Champion after all haha" he nervously lied.

"Ugh please don't" Videl said in disgust.

She wished Gohan didn't say that. He had never seemed all that impressed with her Father before and had treated Videl as she had always wanted. As Videl Satan and not Videl, daughter of Hercule Satan. She wondered why he had changed. It'd be a shame to her if Gohan turned out to be a Hercule fan boy all a long and he had lied about it or hadn't told her before they became friends. Would they have become friends if he had been like that from the start? Videl didn't think so.

Speaking of not telling things, her thoughts drifted over to her Father and yesterday's talk. It started to sour her mood once more just thinking about it. She had managed to keep herself busy for a large part of the day so she wouldn't think about it but now that she was left to her thoughts and a quiet Gohan, she couldn't help but think about it. It began to sour her mood. Noticing her expression change, Gohan spoke up.

"Is everything okay, Videl?"

Videl shook her head.

"Not really."

Gohan put a hand of reassurance on her shoulder and smiled at her.

"Hey if you're that worried about me meeting your Dad then we won't have to" he said, almost half joking.

A soft chuckle left Videl's mouth.

"No that's not it. It's just… my dad's been really…"

"Overbearing and pushy?"

"Yes, exactly that" Videl said looking up at the boy standing beside her.

There was an aura of understanding in his look.

"I know how you feel. My Mother is the same way."

"Does she make decisions for you? Like without even letting you know about it?"

Gohan was a little stunned at this question. It was almost exactly the same situation as him. Though he was unsure if it was actually similar, he felt a feeling of understanding and sympathy with Videl.

"She does. Sometimes I feel like I don't even get to decide my own future. She's already got it all planned out."

His mind began to replay the events from yesterday. Sure he was willing to take on the crown for his Grandfather, it was his dying wish after all but he was unsure about the whole betrothal deal that his Mother had forced onto him. She had been forcing him to study all his life so he could become the scholar she always wanted and while he did enjoy learning, he wanted a bit more freedom in his life. Even though he was to be King, he felt a little less freedom than someone who would be taking on a top position would have. Soon he'd have to marry some girl that his Mother had chosen for him and if she had her way, it would happen as soon as possible without Gohan or even the girl's say in it.

"My Dad's like that too" Videl stated "All my life he's kind of wanted me to uphold the Satan name and do everything that's good for our family's image."

Gohan felt a pang of sympathy towards his friend. He imagined what it would be like if he had instead claimed Cell's defeat instead of Hercule. Would he be in a similar position? Would he have to live up to the ungodly expectations of not just his family but the world? He would probably have to get used to those scenarios if he was really to become the next Ox King. He would soon experience what she went through every day.

"Do you ever want to just get away from it all?" he asked Videl.

"Sometimes I do. Sometimes I wonder what life would be like if Cell had never appeared and my Dad never beat him. Maybe I could have some peace if I just went away for a bit but I just couldn't do that."

"Why's that?" Gohan wondered.

"A few things. I guess well my Dad is still my Dad. Since Mum passed on, we've only really had each other. And there's also the city. I don't know if you've noticed but the Satan City Police Force isn't all that competent."

Gohan chuckled a little.

"They're lucky to have you" he said with a smile.

"I guess so but sometimes I wonder if I'm strong enough. I've almost died a few times and lately the Gold Fighter's had to bail me out a few times."

"You make that sound like it's a bad thing" Gohan commented

"I guess it's not but when you're supposed to be the second strongest person in the world and your Dad's the strongest, it does get to you."

"All the expectations of being your Dad's daughter, I take?"

"You don't know the half of it" Videl said "I know he loves me but sometimes I wish he would show it more. He cares way too much about his image and where our family stands in the world. In fact yesterday he just told me that he was gi…"

She cut herself off before she blurted out what happened yesterday. She wasn't sure why she had been so open with Gohan when she was never that way with Erasa or Sharpner. She loved the two (maybe Sharpner less) but they weren't always the best people to talk to about things and she was never the kind of person to talk about how she felt. She would rather bottle it all up inside and release her frustrations on a punching bag. Gohan noticed that she had stopped talking and seemed to be contemplating whether or not to tell him.

"Hey, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to" he said.

"I know but it's just…"

"You don't have to. Whenever you're ready" he reiterated.

The next few minutes were quiet again as they continued to walk towards the Satan mansion. Suddenly Videl spoke up a question that Gohan hadn't been expecting.

"Can… can you tell me about your Dad?" she asked hesitantly.

Gohan was taken by surprise but knew that Videl would have been curious for a while. He had talked about his Mother and Brother but never about his Father. Anytime the topic skimmed over the topic of his Dad, he seemed to choke up a little.

"What do you want to know?" he queried.

"Well what was he like?"

"He was great" Gohan began "He was strong and had this powerful presence about him but was as kind and gentle as they come. He loved nature and animals and often did whatever he could to protect them. He could be a bit dense at times but he had this way about him that just made everything okay. He was a fierce friend who would do anything for his family or friends, including…"

Gohan paused. That last sentence hurt a little more than he had hoped. He had mostly gotten over his Father's death but that didn't make the memory hurt any less.

"Including dying for them. For me" he finished.

A rush of sadness surrounded the two teens. Videl didn't mean to open up old wounds. She looked at Gohan. He looked more down than she had ever seen him.

"I'm sorry" she quickly said "I didn't mean to…"

"It's fine" Gohan cut her off "I'm mostly over it but I still miss him. We all do."

The memory of meeting Krillin yesterday played in Videl's mind. She remembered the newest member of the Police Force mentioning Gohan's father with a little bit of sadness in his voice.

"I met your Dad's best friend Krillin yesterday" she said.

"Oh really? Where at?" Gohan asked curiously.

"At the Police Station. Turns out that job Marron and Eighteen mentioned was a Police Officer. Ended up being great timing as the Precinct was attacked and he helped out a lot."

A small smile made its way to Gohan's face. With Krillin now a member of the Satan City Police Force maybe they would work a little harder seeing 'one of their own' being as skilled as the formerly bald monk was. Hopefully Krillin would exert restraint and not show off too much of his strength. And who knows, maybe with Krillin on the team, Videl wouldn't have to be called into as many dangerous situations.

"How did you know they were best friends?" Gohan asked.

"He told me when I asked how you two knew each other. He seemed a little down when I asked and I guess I found out why today."

"Yeah, his death did hit all of us hard" Gohan said.

It was Videl's turn place her hand on Gohan in reassurance. She smiled at him.

"He must've been very special to a lot of people then."

Gohan nodded.

"Yeah… he was the one that held us all up and kept us together. If you built a house out of all of us, he would be the foundation. He was just that kind of guy"

Gohan smiled as he thought about his Father. It felt nice to talk about him again, no matter how much it hurt he had to move pass that and focus on the positives.

"I wish I could have met him" Videl said with sadness.

Gohan's Dad from what she had heard was the complete opposite of her Fathers. What if their situations were reversed and Gohan was taking her to meet with his Dad. What would it be like? Would she be nervous too?

 _'Why am I having these thoughts'_ she thought _'And his Dad… Krillin was from the Turtle School which means he would be close friends with fellow students Yamcha and Goku… Yamcha's still alive last I checked with a successful baseball career so does that mean…'_

"What… what was your Father's name?"

Gohan paused to think about it. Would Videl recognize the name? He was unsure about how famous his Dad was but with someone like Videl who lived and breathed martial arts, she no doubt had at least heard of the previous World Champion before her own Father. As he opened his mouth to answer they were greeted by the sight of a massive gate made out of gold with the words 'SATAN' shining at the top.

"This is your house?" he said in surprise "Wow."

"Yeah it's… a bit too big I think."

Gohan agreed with that. It was bigger than their school and that's a public building. He didn't really understand why a family of 2 needed such a large home. He compared it with the Briefs and the residential building of Capsule Corp. At least they had Bulma, Vegeta, Trunks, Dr. Briefs and his Wife, not to mention the guests that frequently stayed over like the Son Family.

"Come on, let's get this over with" Videl said as she dragged Gohan up the stairs and into the massive mansion where Mr. Satan would be awaiting.

The pair were greeted by Janice, one of the Satan Household's maids who bowed to them in respect.

"Good Afternoon Miss Videl, who might this young man be?"

"This is my friend, Gohan. He's here to meet my father" Videl replied.

"My my, introducing him to the old man already?" the maid smirked.

"Quiet Janice, he's just a friend" Videl said with heated cheeks.

Gohan paid them no mind, he was too busy admiring the room he was in. If you had to look up the image of a typical mansion foyer you would get this result. The floor was made of marble tiles which looked to have been polished recently. Twin staircases bordered the eastern and western sides of the room which Gohan assumed would lead to the two main wings of the house. The walls were painted a dark forest green with wooden pillars adorning them. It looked impressive to say the least. In the middle of the giant room was a golden statue of the World Champion, complete with his hands up in a victory pose.

 _'Of course he would'_ Gohan laughed in his head.

"Where is my Father?" Videl asked Janice.

"He's in the parlour, been there for a while actually."

"Alright, we'll go there now" Videl said as she motioned Gohan towards that side of the room.

Gohan had been too busy examining his surroundings and was startled by the feeling of Videl's hand pushing him gently on the back.

"Come on, Gohan" she complained as he was still looking at everything.

"Sorry" he mumbled "Just admiring your err… walls."

"You're a dork" Videl muttered under her breath.

The two soon reached the room in which Mr. Satan was sitting. He had a nervous look upon his face and was startled when he heard the door open.

"Oh Videl, you're here" he said.

"Yeah sorry we're late. My jetcopter ran out of fuel so we had to walk home."

She pulled Gohan into the room who nervously smiled at Hercule.

"I'm Gohan, sir. It's nice to meet you."

Gohan put out his hand to shake the World Champion's and to his surprise, Hercule accepted and shook his in return. Gohan had expected Mr. Satan to be more flamboyant during this meeting. That was what he recalled when he saw him during the Cell Games and from what he saw of him on TV. He was normally loud, arrogant and daresay annoying but this was different. Was he always quieter at home? He almost seemed to be treating Gohan with respect and… maybe was a little scared of him? Did Hercule know who he was?

"It's nice to meet you too, kid."

Videl was surprised to say the least. Was her Dad really being nice to Gohan?

 _'I know that he's already trying to set me up with that Prince guy but wouldn't he normally be grilling Gohan about being a boy and being around me?'_ Videl thought

"I'm just about to have some afternoon tea, would you like something to eat or drink?" Hercule asked Gohan.

 _'He's even offering Gohan food! If Dad just knew that food is the way to get onto Gohan's good side.'_

"Sure, thank you, sir" Gohan replied courteously.

Hercule called for Janice to bring in some hot tea and a few cakes and pastries as he motioned Gohan and Videl to sit down.

"So Gohan, tell me about yourself" Hercule asked, taking a sip of his tea.

Gohan in the meanwhile had been fighting an internal battle of whether or not he should eat like he normally does and enjoy the food or take it slowly and not scare Mr. Satan. Videl on the other hand had been too preoccupied watching the two males sitting across from each other.

"Not much to say I guess. I've just started attending Orange Star High last month but I guess you could say my grades make up for the lack of in school learning. My Mum had been homeschooling me the whole time up until now."

"I see, tell me about your family."

Gohan took a small nibble of the Danish he had in his hand.

"Well there's my mum and my brother as well as my Grandpa but he doesn't live with us."

"And your Father?"

Videl held her head down a little in sadness as Gohan answered.

"He passed away seven years ago."

"I'm sorry to hear that" Hercule replied.

 _'So it IS him. I feel sorry for the kid, having to watch his Father die like that. Makes me feel really bad about the things I've had to say and do'_ Hercule added mentally.

Videl had decided to grab a cake too when her Father cut her off.

"Videl, remove your gloves before you eat, please" he said.

It was one of the small rules Hercule had around the house. It may have been to do with maintaining a good image but Hercule would always tell Videl to keep good table manners, especially when they had dinners with important people which Videl hated to attend.

"Ugh fine" Videl complained as she removed her gloves.

Gohan began to take a sip of tea when he noticed something wrapped around Videl's wrist. Something red.

 _'What is that…'_ he wondered as his eyes peered closer.

He watched Videl begin to place chunks of the cake in her mouth, keeping his eyes locked onto the red object. It was a bracelet made of red thread with silver adornments.

 _'That almost looks like… mine.'_

"Do you um, do you have any aspirations or plans for the future?" Hercule asked, trying to keep the silence at bay.

This was awkward enough as it was.

"Dad! That's a little embarrassing don't you think?" Videl whined.

Why was her Father asking things like this about Gohan? He had already planned to give her away to some royal family. Why was he drilling Gohan with questions like he was her boyfriend? Not that she wanted that sort of thing, it's just what she saw in shows and movies, right?

"I'm just curious about him, it would be nice if your friends had plans after school. You probably need one too."

"Ugh Dad" Videl complained, rolling her eyes.

"It's alright" Gohan said with a smile "My Mother's always wanted me to be a scholar and had this scholarship set up for me at Satan University actually but now I'm not sure if that's going to go ahead."

"Why not?" Hercule asked.

Mr. Satan knew about the scholarship. He was the one that set up the whole thing after all for Gohan and Chi Chi though he was unsure if Gohan knew that it was him that did it. He wasn't completely comfortable with saying it out loud. It'd raise a lot more questions than he was ready to answer.

"Well sadly my Grandpa's gotten a bit sick so he wants me to take over his uh.. business" Gohan answered.

 _'Damn'_ Hercule thought.

He didn't know that the Ox King had been unhealthy. They hadn't interacted all that often but when Mr. Satan did come in contact with Gyumao, he found him to be respectful and though Hercule loved the attention from his adoring fans, he enjoyed that the Ox King treated him as a regular acquaintance. It was a breath of fresh air.

 _'Wait taking over… does that mean…'_

"I'm sorry to hear about your Grandfather" he said "I hope he feels better soon."

Gohan's eyes lingered back onto Videl's wrist. The more he looked at it the more he noticed it was exactly the same as his own. Why did Videl have the same bracelet as him when his was an heirloom from his Grandmother? Maybe it was part of a set? It would make sense that the Satan Family was able to purchase treasures and heirlooms like that but Videl didn't strike him as the type to wear jewellery.

"Is that all, Dad?" Videl asked, clearly uncomfortable at the moment.

"Could you give Gohan and I a moment, please Sweet Pea?"

"What for?" Videl asked with a raise eyebrow.

"Nothing too much, I just want to talk to him in private. Could you go to the cellar and fetch a nice bottle of vintage or something? As a gift for his family and his sick Grandfather."

"You don't have to do that, Mr. Satan" Gohan said but his small protest was dismissed by the World Champion.

"It's fine, we don't drink it all anyways."

Videl stood up and dusted off some crumbs that had made their way to her lap.

"I'll be back then" she said as she walked out of the room but not before mouthing 'I'm sorry about my Dad' to Gohan.

"You really didn't have to get us something, sir" Gohan said.

Mr. Satan waved him off dismissively again.

"No it's my pleasure. Besides, if I didn't get Videl to do something then she would be standing against that door right now trying to eavesdrop."

Gohan focused his Ki and sensed Videl walking away almost at a powerwalking pace. He was right, Videl was naturally inquisitive by nature.

"The reason I wanted to talk to you is because I think you're an incredibly mature kid and well…"

Hercule's breath was bated and his hands were sweaty. Did he want to reveal everything to Gohan or should he wait til tomorrow. He figured perhaps tomorrow might be the better setting so he would have to word his sentences correctly.

"I'm not sure how close you and my daughter are but I know she'll be going through a bit of a rough time soon and I wanted to make sure she would have friends to support her."

Gohan nodded. Videl had told him that her Father had done something without her talking to her first. It seemed that it must've been big if it was going to put Videl through some grief.

"Shouldn't you be talking to Erasa and Sharpner about this instead? They've known her longer" Gohan pointed out.

"Eventually but they're not exactly the smartest kids around. They adore my daughter and they're great friends but they can be a little… immature" Hercule stated.

Gohan was a little confused at how Mr. Satan was acting. For the past few years all he had seen of the World Champion was how loud, confident and obnoxious he was. A complete 180 from how he was acting now. Today he was being respectful, friendly and was even asking Gohan for a favour.

"Look, Videl will be coming back soon and I'm sure you know that she doesn't always take kindly to help."

Gohan agreed with that statement. Videl was strong, tenacious albeit a bit stubborn. It had taken her almost dying a few times to ask the Gold Fighter to help. She probably would never do that with a normal friend.

"Can you just… look out for her?" Hercule asked with pleading eyes, holding out his hand towards Gohan.

Gohan smiled and took Mr. Satan's hand.

"You have my word."

"Please don't tell her about this either" Hercule added to which Gohan begrudgingly agreed.

It was going to be hard enough hiding another thing from Videl. They broke apart their handshake when Videl came in through the door, an expensive bottle of wine in her hand.

"Is this one okay?" she asked her Father.

"Ah yes, a red from Yahoi, year 765. That'll do fine."

Videl handed the bottle to Gohan with a look of concern. What exactly did her Father want to talk to Gohan about?

"Is that all then, Daddy?" she asked, thinking that she would be saving Gohan from some torture.

"Yes that's all, it was nice meeting you, Gohan."

"You too, sir" Gohan replied "See you later."

"Yes, see you to- next time" Hercule said, managing to catch his slip up.

Videl looked at her Father strangely. Man he had been acting weird lately. She began to push Gohan out of the room and lead him back to the front of the house as Hercule sat back down in the parlour to relax. The two teens stood outside the large mansion for a few moments before Videl finally spoke up.

"So err… why did my Dad want to talk to you alone?"

Gohan had to think of a lie and quick. Something believable that Videl wouldn't see through. Lying was definitely not his strong suit.

"Nothing really I guess, he was just curious about my studies and my scholarship. Also wanted to know about my Grandfather a bit more"

"Is that it?" Videl questioned "He wanted you alone just so he could ask you about that?"

"Err yeah, he said that it might've been a bit more awkward with you around complaining about him asking questions."

Videl nodded. That made enough sense.

"Come on, I'll walk you to the gate."

The two continued their way down the long driveway when Gohan noticed Videl looking a little out of sorts.

"Something wrong?" Gohan asked.

Videl sighed.

"It's just… my Father's been acting really strange. Normally he would be berating you for having a penis and being around me but there he was asking you questions about your life"

"Err thanks for your concern about my private parts" Gohan jested earning him a light punch from Videl on the shoulder.

"That wasn't my point. It's just I don't know, he's changing."

"How so?" Gohan asked.

"He's kind of reverting back to how he was before the whole Cell affair. He was always flashy and confident but that was all amplified when the World started treating him better than King Furry. Now he's a bit more reserved, at least at home and he was even nice to you!"

"You make that sound like it's a bad thing."

"It isn't. It's just… he used to be my hero you know? I wanted to be just like him. To be able to fight like him. To be strong like him but then he started changing and we kinda drifted apart, especially because everyone only ever treated me as Hercule's Daughter."

Gohan listened with intent as his friend continued to pour her heart out.

"So it made me want to train harder so I could get out of his shadow. I wanted to be known as me but everywhere I went, everything I did, I could never do it. I was always Hercule Satan's Daughter. Don't get me wrong, I love my Dad but it feels like he has control over everything I do even if he's not directly doing it."

"It sounds like you just need to find your place right now" Gohan said, placing his hand on Videl's shoulder "You need to find something that lets you be you. Don't worry about people thinking you're only Hercule's daughter. I know it probably gets to you at times but you're stronger than that. The people of Satan City know you're a hero."

He placed his hand on Videl's face, cupping her cheek.

"If you asked me, you're already out of his shadow. You just need to accept that."

Videl smiled.

"I know I should it's just… I've failed a lot lately. You know, I've never really told anyone this but the reason I started helping out the police was because of my Dad."

"Yeah? Did your Dad tell you to do that or something?" Gohan asked to which Videl shook her head.

"No it's just, I said how he was my hero and I wanted to be like him right? I mean he's the guy that saved the world from Cell. I thought that if I started helping out and working my way up then I could save the world too but… lately it just seems hard."

"What do you mean?" Gohan asked curiously.

"It's about the Gold Fighter" Videl started, causing Gohan's heart to skip a little beat. Did she know it was him?

"He's saved me a lot lately and… don't get me wrong, I'm thankful for him and all. I mean I probably wouldn't be here right now if it wasn't for him but it doesn't help that I'm starting to feel a little…"

She took a deep breath, it took a lot out of her to admit something like this and she wasn't all that sure why she was pouring out her heart to Gohan. She looked up into his eyes and noticed they were full of warmth and understanding, like he knew exactly what she was going through.

"Helpless" she finished as she looked back down to the ground.

Gohan indeed knew exactly what she was going through. Through the fights with the Saiyans, against Frieza and the Ginyu Force and even the Androids, he had felt pretty helpless at times. Like every time something happened he needed his Dad, Piccolo or even Vegeta to be there to help bail him out. Even with Cell, if Gohan had finished off that monster then his Father wouldn't have needed to step in to take that last blow.

"Don't beat yourself up about that, Videl. You're one of the strongest people I know" he said "Even the best need help at times, trust me on that. I know."

Videl gingerly shook her head. His voice was almost soothing to her heart.

"I know that but I just can't shake this feeling. It's like I'm starting to get out of my Dad's shadow and now I'm within the Gold Fighter's. Do you understand that?"

Gohan nodded, he had been in a golden shadow before. His Father's.

"I just need to find my strength again" Videl said "I just need to get better."

She felt a sudden pressure on her shoulder and saw that Gohan had placed his hand there, holding her in a reassuring way.

"It sounds like you need to ask yourself a few questions then."

Videl's eyes met Gohan's in a clash of blue and black. His eyes were filled with kindness and compassion, something she found entrancing. The way he spoke was soft yet hit her like a ton of bricks.

"You just need to find a reason to why you fight and why you need to be stronger, not just so you can come out from that shadow" he said with a smile.

Videl's eyes widened. Where had she heard that before? It was almost like what the… Gold Fighter said… Seeing a thousand questions going through her head, Gohan decided that it would be best to leave her to her thoughts and head home.

"I'll be going now, Videl. Take care!" he said as he walked off, her eyes still fixated on him.

 _'Is it you, Gohan?'_

* * *

In a dimly lit room filled with scientific instruments, test tubes and the like two figures sat across from each other on a sterile looking table.

"It looks like our little test yesterday provided us with quite poor results" one of the men said.

His greasy black hair seemed to have an unnatural shine to them, even in such a sparsely lit room. The man stood up and dusted off his red suede blazer before walking over to the other person in the room who had a look of nervousness on him.

"I trust you'll be able to produce better next time?" the greasy haired man stated, his nefarious eyes drilling holes into the other.

"Y… yes, my lord. Just give me more time, I can do it" the shaking man said in fear.

"Good. I would be disappointed if one of Dr. Gero's former assistants would let failure define him. To make sure this is done, I'm bringing in my cousin who is quite well versed in these… experiments."

The door to the room opened to reveal a slender looking man dressed in a cyan suit. He tipped his fedora in greeting towards the other men.

"I trust you'll get along and produce better results, this is important work after all" the greasy looking man said.

The scared scientist nodded.

"It.. it will be done, just give me time please."

"But of course, you do know what will happen to your daughter should you fail but I am a generous man after all."

The two superior men clasped both their hands on the frightened man's shoulders as they looked at a giant tank, inside another man. He was unconscious, kept alive by the fluid in the tank.

"What a specimen" the cyan dressed man said, marvelling at the peak physical appearance of the floating figure.

"Yes indeed" the Lord said "Our work here will bring me World Domination. Now, let's get back to our gene research, shall we?"

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

QueenKeesie, thanks for the compliments! I was hoping that the characters wouldn't be a little too OOC or at least weren't extremes of the personalities that sometimes people put them as (eg. Gohan's way too awkward or Videl's extremely bitchy but suddenly becomes soft).  
I do hope that you'd get your groove back in regards to Role Reversal because I was enjoying that story too. I get what you mean and while I do think I should maybe look into getting a beta reader (just to make sure all my grammar and plot points all make sense), I will most likely be sticking to what I have planned for the story.

Tactician, thanks for being honest. Yeah the Saiyaman persona has always been a little too awkward and while I enjoy it at times, I felt like it wasn't too necessary for this story. In regards to Videl seeming a little Lois Lane like, don't worry, she definitely won't become just a damsel in distress.

Thanks to everyone else who left a review about how they're enjoying it so far. Means a lot to me and thanks guys for the 120 Followers and 70 Favourites! Honestly didn't think I'd even get that much attention with this story when I first started so it means a lot.

As always, if you have any thoughts, criticism or just want to let me know you're liking what you read, do leave a review!


	12. Chapter 12 - An Engaging Meeting

**Chapter 12: An Engaging Meeting**

A cool evening breeze blew through the open windows of Videl's room as she lay on her bed, mobile phone in hand.

"So are you ready to tell me what you've been upset about?" the bubbly voice on the receiver asked.

"Ugh I don't know, Erasa, I've just had… a lot on my mind lately" Videl sighed as she replied.

"Well start from the beginning, I know you aren't the best with words but I'm your best friend, I won't judge whatever you're going through right now."

Videl took another deep breath. Erasa was right. Though she had opened up a little to Gohan earlier, Erasa was still her best friend of almost 12 years. They had been together since they first entered schooling. Erasa knew Videl before she was the famous "Daughter of the World Champion", before Hercule won the World Martial Arts Tournament, before the whole business with Cell. If there was anyone who would sit there and listen to Videl, it was her. Composing herself, Videl began to explain her situation.

"Well, you know how I said that my Dad kind of… made a decision for me."

"Yeah."

"He… he told me that he had arranged for me to betrothed to some Prince from the Ox Kingdom. I'm apparently engaged."

Videl could hear a shriek of almost… delight coming from Erasa.

"Oh my god! That means you're going to be a Princess! I'm sure he's going to be such a charming Prince" the blonde squealed.

"Erasa…" Videl complained "That's not the point."

"Ah I'm sorry Videl it's just… come on, who doesn't want to be married into royalty!"

Videl mentally facepalmed. She should have known Erasa's reaction would have been like this.

"As far as the world is concerned, I already am royalty. They treat my Dad like he's the king of the world and not King Furry."

"But now you'll be officially royalty!"

"Erasa I don't want to be. I'm upset enough at my Dad for doing this all without even telling me and now he expects me to meet with the Royal Family tomorrow."

"Oh you're meeting them! That means you'll have to dress up! You can't go meeting royalty in your typical rags. I think a nice burgun…"

Videl began to tune Erasa out. It was a trick that she had managed to nearly perfect over their long friendship. Her ears would naturally tune back in once Erasa had stopped her fashion speeches.

"Are you done, Erasa?" she asked.

"For now."

Videl groaned.

"Look, I don't want to dress up and have some stuck up Prince think I'm trying to impress him. Remember that time I went to one of my Dad's socials and that punk from the Northern Kingdom creeped on me? I'm not going through that again."

"Aw come on, Vi. Just because you had one bad experience with a Prince doesn't mean they're all like tha-" Erasa stated before she was cut off.

"And then there was that one guy from Konpei who wasn't even really royalty, he was just some distant cousin and thought that was enough to try and kiss me before I introduced my foot into his face."

"So there's more than one shoddy Prince, I'm sure the Ox Prince isn't bad. I heard that the Ox King is a pretty benevolent ruler, despite his appearance."

Videl chuckled.

"Benevolent huh? Since when do you use big words like that?"

"Oh shut up, Videl. I think you should at least meet this guy and go from there" Erasa said.

"Ugh, that's what my Dad said but at least my Dad gave me a deal where if I still don't like the guy after a few meetings then I don't have to go through with it" Videl explained.

"That sounds okay then, at least he's not completely forcing you to."

Videl was happy that both her Father and Erasa seemed to value Videl having a choice in the matter. Even if she wasn't particularly happy (in fact, she was still quite upset) about being in such a situation, at least she was given the open to back out if things went south.

"I guess…" Videl said, almost in a whisper.

Erasa frowned. It seemed like there was more on her best friend's mind other than the whole arrangement with the Ox Kingdom.

"Is there something else?" Erasa questioned.

Videl took another breath.

"It's… about the Gold Fighter."

"Oh that cutie? He seems to be really keen on looking out for you. Looks like you don't just have a Prince after you but a Hero too!" Erasa teased.

"Ugh Erasa please, that's not it."

"Oh come on, 'del. He's a total hunk" Erasa said.

"Is how attractive men are all you think about?" Videl asked, slightly annoyed at her best friend.

"No no… they need to be strong, smart and kind too but exude confidence like a badass."

"So they basically they don't exist" Videl quipped causing Erasa to grunt in annoyance..

"What about the Gold Fighter then?" Erasa asked.

"Well…" Videl began "I think… I might know who he is… and who he was"

This captured Erasa's interest. Did Videl know the Gold Fighter personally? Did she?

"Who he was?" Erasa questioned, unsure of what Videl meant.

"Yea, you know the rumour about the Gold Fighter being the Delivery Boy from the Cell Games but all grown up?" Videl began explaining

"Mhm."

"Do you remember when I told you that the bracelet I wear was a gift my Dad gave me from some old king?"

"Mhm"

"And you remember how he said the king gave one to the Delivery Boy too…"

"I remember the speed you put it on as if you were naked and the bracelet was the only bit of clothing capable of covering you up" Erasa teased.

Videl's cheeks began to flush red at the memory bring brought up.

"Don't… don't remind me about that" she shouted.

"Fine fine hehe" Erasa giggled "do continue."

"Well I never told anyone this but do you remember the first time the Gold Fighter saved me? From that rocket launcher. When the Gold Fighter err… checked up on me I noticed he was wearing something… red."

"The bracelet!" Erasa squealed "Oh my god so he's still wearing it after all, that's so romantic!"

Videl moved the phone away from her ears to save herself from going deaf.

"Oh no…" Erasa realized.

"What is it?" Videl asked.

"But if your old crush is back and then you're going to be engaged and… oh no!"

"Erasa…" Videl groaned as her best friend kept going.

"And then there's going to be a fight over your heart but how does a Superhero and a Prince fight and then how is Gohan ever going to get a chance to stake his claim" Erasa said with a hint of sadness at the end.

"… Gohan?"

The name hit Videl like a truck. The name of the new kid at Orange Star High School. The name of their newest friend that seemed to fit into their little friend group in a way that no one would have expected. The name of the guy that had managed to get close enough with the distant Videl Satan, enough for her to pour a little bit of her heart out to him. The one she was starting to believe could really be the Gold Fighter.

"Yeah Gohan" Erasa said "Don't think I don't see the way you are around him."

Blood rushed to Videl's cheeks in embarrassment.

"I-I don't know what you're t-talking about" Videl mumbled out.

"Oh come on, Videl. I know how you are with other guys including our good friend Sharpner but you seem to have a soft spot for Mr. Son. Not to mention you even introduced him to your Dad!"

"My Dad wanted to meet him okay! Nothing wrong with a Parent meeting a good friend!" Videl shouted, trying to defend herself.

"Oh? And is perving on his body part of being his good friend?" Erasa giggled.

She could picture the scarlet hues of Videl's cheeks in her mind. Ah how she wish she could see them in person.

"Don't make me hang up on you" Videl threatened.

"Alright alright fine. But wait!" Erasa stopped in her tracks "You said you might know who the Gold Fighter is?"

"I have a hunch."

"Well? Do tell!" Erasa said in excitement.

"Have you ever seen a picture of the Gold Fighter? I'm sure there's a few around."

"Of course I have, he's such a babe with his glowing hair, powerful eyes and oh my god that bod, Vi."

"That's not… the point" Videl groaned "Anyway, have you seen that scar that runs along his left shoulder? It's pretty big so you can't really miss it."

Erasa thought for a moment and seemed to recall something like that.

"Yeah now that you mention it, I do remember seeing that in some pictures. Why are you mentioning that?"

Videl took a deep breath. She was about to hit Erasa with a suspicion that she had had growing in her mind for a while now but the past few days almost seemed to confirm it or at least, give her more clues to the Gold Fighter's identity.

"You can't tell anyone else this, okay Erasa? I'm not even sure if I'm 100% right but the clues seem to point to this person."

"Well, I saw someone with that exact same scar. It was only for a second but it looked exactly the same to me."

Erasa let out a small gasp.

"When did you see them? Do we know them?"

"I saw it yesterday… I'm not sure if you did because you were closing the door at the time."

"Wait yesterday? But yesterday we were at the mall with Sharpner and Goh…"

Erasa's mind went blank for a moment. Did Videl really think it was their new friend? Picking up on Videl's suspicion she asked.

"You think it's Gohan?"

"It's not just the scar but his build, his height… the things we saw today during dodgeball. Heck, remember what he was wearing on the first day of school? It just doesn't add up for someone that was labelled a nerd on his first day."

"You sound like you've given this a bit of thought, Videl" Erasa commented.

She had always been astounded with Videl's intuition. It was something that both she and the Satan City Police Force admired about the young girl. While she could be tough to deal with at times, her gut instinct had almost always been right when she was able to sit on information and think on it.

"I have and it's not just his physical appearance I mean if you dyed Gohan's hair blonde it's almost a dead ringer for the Gold Fighter but it's something they both said to me. It wasn't just the words they used but the way they said it…" Videl said.

"You know what this might mean, Videl."

"… what?" Videl asked, unsure what her best friend was about to say.

"It means the only guy you've ever had a crush on is right there within your grasps."

Videl let out a slight groan. Of course her best friend would think romantic things like that.

"Erasa, this guy glows, can fly and shoot beams out of his hands. I'm sure romance isn't on either of our minds" Videl denied "But if the things he can do is real, which I think is, I want to know if anyone can learn it."

"It would be nice to fly…" Erasa said in wonder.

Videl agreed. The freedom that being able to fly without any aid had always been a dream of hers. It was one of the reasons she preferred driving a jetcopter over other means of transportation. There was just something invigorating about moving freely in the sky. Free like a bird, with only the wind inhibiting you. No unreasonable expectations, overbearing parents or problems of the world. Just you and the open sky.

"Erasa, you have to promise me you won't tell anyone what we talked about today, okay?" Videl pleaded.

"Not even the prince stuff?"

"Especially not the prince stuff!" Videl snapped back.

"Fine" Erasa conceded "But you have to give me details after!"

Videl groaned at the thoughts of Erasa squealing and clamouring about her meeting the Prince. She wasn't looking forward to it.

"Alright fine but I'm gonna go to sleep, I have to leave early tomorrow."

"Sure thing, you better call me tomorrow night, okay?!" Erasa demanded.

"I'll see" Videl answered before she disconnected the call.

She laid in her bed, above the covers staring up at the ceiling. Tomorrow was definitely a day that she didn't want to come yet she had to admit, she was a little curious about the identity of this Ox Prince. Would he be the same as all the other Princes and Nobles she had met before? A pompous jackass that thought he was too perfect for the world or would he be a decent kind of person. Maybe someone she could at least get along with and agree to put a stop to this whole arrangement. She wondered if the Ox Prince had been dragged into this unwillingly like she had been or was he in on it, jumping at the chance to be the Son in Law of the World's Saviour. Not many people would blame him if he did but Videl certainly would. It was the only reason.

Her thoughts drifted towards a certain spiky haired boy. What would Gohan do in such a situation? Her conversation from earlier and experiences with him had proven him to be quite a mature person for their age and a good friend. Maybe he would understand what she's going through and could help her out. But then the suspicions in the back of her mind came to the forefront.

Was Gohan the Gold Fighter? Was he the one boy that had captured her interest all those long years ago? Her eyes closed as she began to drift to sleep, a golden shimmer appearing amidst the darkness of slumber.

* * *

It was the second night in a row that Gohan experienced very little sleep. He was overcome with a mixture of both anticipation and dread. He definitely wasn't keen on the whole idea of the marriage and was apprehensive about the thoughts of his future ascension to the throne. He was never one for attention. It was one of the major reasons why he never ousted Hercule Satan's lie about the Cell Games and why he fought crime as The Gold Fighter and not as Gohan Son. Here he was lying in bed, thinking of two events in his near future that would garner him more attention than he was used to. His aforementioned ascension to the throne and his future wedding to a woman he had never even met.

Despite his Mother's insistence about the woman being perfect for him and that he would like her, he had a hard time believing her. Shouldn't he at least know who he was supposed to be marrying long before he was supposed to marry her? He had considered rebelling against his Mother and running away from it all but that would only cause more problems for him and to be honest, he wasn't looking forward to any future tongue lashings he would get from his Mother. As strict as she could be, he was still her son and he loved her.

Gohan was never one for romance, in fact, he had almost zero experience with it. The majority of the women in his life were his Dad's friends and their wives the only exception really being Lime but he never saw her more than a sister or beloved cousin. While he had no experiences with love, he had thought in his younger days that if he ever were to get married, he would do it only once and with someone he loved. After seeing how his parents loved one another even if they didn't show it that often and how Chi Chi would put up with all of Goku's antics for the sake of their love, he wanted something similar to that. A marriage where even though there were trials, they would still hold to each other in life and in death. And Chi Chi held onto Goku after his second death, only ever loving him and never even considering the option of another man. Gohan wanted something like that though he was unsure when or how.

His thoughts drifted to the two most recent feminine additions to his life. Erasa and Videl. While he would probably never consider Erasa as a romantic option due to how different they were, he found that she was a great friend and someone who he could see brighten his mood when needed. She was just that kind of bubbly person who would even put up with Sharpner's ridiculous antics. The other one, Videl Satan… oh boy, Videl Satan. She was different than most girls. Much different. For some reason, Gohan seemed a little more intrigued and dare he say attached to the crime fighting heroine of Satan City. She was strong, determined albeit a bit headstrong. She didn't have the typical problems that a teenage girl would have such as which top goes with what eyeliner, how stylish she should do her hair or whatever girls did. She was beautiful the way she was. She was different and Gohan liked different.

If Gohan didn't know any better, he was starting to develop something for Miss Satan. If only she wasn't the daughter of that man and if only he wasn't already supposed to marry someone. Maybe something could have happened.

This mystery girl kind of frightened Gohan. He didn't know what to expect. Would she be smart and intuitive like Bulma? Would she be powerful yet elegant like Eighteen? Would she be loyal to her family above all else like his own mother Chi Chi? Did such a girl even exist.

Deciding he had enough time to his thoughts, he swung his legs across the bed to get up and ready himself for the journey to his Grandfather's castle. Maybe he could fit in a bit of training or meditation while he waited. Kami only knows that he could use a clear head for today.

Kami certainly knows.

* * *

 _'Stupid birds'_ Videl thought as her sleep was rudely interrupted.

She had slept a bit better than the night before but it was still not as much as she would have liked. She turned her head to look at the clock sitting on her bedside table.

5:56am.

 _'Ugh still too early'_ she grumbled.

Her Father had told her that they would be leaving at 8 in the morning so they could arrive at the Ox Kingdom just before lunch time. Videl wasn't looking forward to the long journey especially having to sit beside her Father who she was still a little mad at. Deciding she wasn't going to get anymore sleep, she got out of bed to get a quick work out in before breakfast. Videl quickly dressed herself in some black tights and a blue shirt that was a size too big, just the way she liked it. The Gym in the Satan Manor was unlike most home gyms and was big enough to be an actual pay to use gym on its own. It seemed a bit like overkill in Videl's honest opinion considering that it was only really ever her and her Father that used it as the students of the Satan Dojo worked out at the gym there. In fact, most students weren't even allowed to set foot in their home.

After doing a few quick stretches, she positioned herself in front of the punching bag and began kicking away, her favourite way to release some stress other than bashing in bad guy's faces.

 **WHACK!**

 _'Stupid Father making decisions for me'_ she angrily thought.

 **WHACK!**

 _'Stupid Prince probably thinking about all the ways he can woo me.'_

 **WHACK!**

 _'Stupid Gold Fighter business confusing me.'_

 **WHACK!**

 _'Stupid Goh…'_ her thoughts stopped _'No, if anything Gohan's the opposite of stupid.'_

She momentarily composed herself to clear her head and continued to brutally kick the punching bag. If only she could kick all her problems away. Wouldn't that make life much simpler. The rest of the morning went by fairly quickly and after Videl had eaten a spot of breakfast in which she ignored her Father's worrying looks she quickly got dressed. Her conversation with Erasa last night played in her head.

 _'There's no way I'm going to dress up like some doll for some punk ass Prince'_ she thought with resolve.

Her Father complained as soon as he saw her walk down the stairs.

"Videl! We're going to meet with royalty and you're dressing up in your usual baggy shirt and shorts? Don't you have anything more suited for the occasion?"

"Tough luck, Dad" Videl snapped back "this is what I am and if they don't like it then that's their problem."

She huffed past the burly man and made her way to their large airbus that had been parked on their extremely long driveway. She lazily plopped herself on the seat and closed her eyes, hoping to fall asleep for however long she could. Maybe forever would be a good time.

Luckily enough for Videl, the fact that she hadn't gotten much sleep last night combined with her earlier work out allowed her to sleep for a fair amount of time. She groggily opened her eyes and peered out the window. There was green as far as they eye could see with rolling hills bordered by vast woodlands, untouched by the technologies of man. She looked below her to see a winding river with clear, blue water set against the green like someone had laid a perfect blue ribbon against the land. It was beautiful and serene to her. A great difference compared to the concrete jungle of Satan City.

Videl began to think about how she could get out of this blasted arrangement. Perhaps she could act extremely rude, be all sloppy and daresay gross. Perhaps if she acted like such a slob that the Prince would be repulsed on their first meeting that he would instantly call it off, not wanting to be tied down to such trash. The thought caused Videl to frown. No, as brash as she could be, she was never that disgustingly rude. She was a tomboy at heart, not some hobo from the darkest alley of Satan City. She might just have to act like how she normally was, the opposite of what a typical Princess was like. She could be all distant and uninterested, which she was, and that could be enough to turn the Prince off.

As she continued to survey the scenes below her, a mountain with a castle built against it came into view. It had several spires at its point with walls made of white stone. Surrounding the immediate area of the castle was large gardens, filled with lush trees and colourful flowers. The scene looked almost picturesque. Leading up to the castle gate was a long road that ended at a small city within the mountain's shadow. It wasn't as large or as populated as Satan City but was filled with busy streets and movement all about, the trademark of a city of trade. The city was called Mt. Frypan, the same as the mountain that stood proudly above it.

The Satan Family airbus descended down and landed just in front of the gate. Videl took a deep breath as she stepped out of the vehicle, her Father closely behind her. A young woman stood at the entrance, flanked by two guards dressed in ceremonial armour. She had reddish brown hair tied in a lose braid behind her head. Her dress was elegant and professional and on her left chest above her heart was a badge with the symbol of the Ox Kingdom. It appeared she was the one in charge here, something that brought a small smile to Videl's face. As Videl got closer, she noticed that the woman looked quite young in fact, maybe even around her age.

"Good morning Mr. Satan, Miss Satan" the lady said with a bow "My name is Lime Lao and I am the Ox King's assistant."

Hercule and Videl bowed courteously as the young woman led the two inside the castle grounds.

"His majesty is waiting in one of the gardens. I trust your journey wasn't too bad?" she asked.

"No it was fine though a little boring" Hercule replied.

Videl kept her silence and merely gazed around the castle as the group continued walking. It was somewhat refreshing to see such a grand palace without the unnecessary statues and paintings of her Father. There were plenty of statues in the gardens including one that Videl found to be particularly well crafted. An Eastern Dragon, its body long and curled around like a snakes. Below it were seven stone spheres with stars on them. Videl's eyes wandered around some more, noticing the greenery around them. Whilst she had seen gardens before, especially the ones around her mansion, these seemed a bit more serene and peaceful. Like the perfect place to just sit by underneath some shade to read something or relax.

 _'I could kinda get used to this'_ she mused _'But… I shouldn't.'_

The girl named Lime cleared her throat, pulling Videl out of her thoughts.

"May I present the Ox King, Gyumao and his daughter Princess Chi Chi."

Videl and her Father gave a curt bow before joining them on one of the stone benches. The Ox King looked to be tending one of the gardens, quietly humming a tune while the Ox Princess seemed to have a slight annoyed expression on her face, muttering something like "where is that boy". Videl looked up to her Father who seemed to be a little intimidated by the woman. Perhaps they had met before and she left a strong impression on her Father. Videl hoped it wasn't like the other women her Father had been involved with after her Mother passed. At least, it didn't seem that way.

"Is something wrong, Princess Chi Chi?" Hercule asked.

"Yes!" she yelled, causing Videl to wince "my blasted sons are out gallivanting in the forest when I specifically told them to stay here."

"Now now Chi, you know you can't keep those two still for too long, they take too much after their Father after all" the Ox King said as the girl named Lime tried to placate the furious woman.

"Still doesn't excuse them from trying to get away from this! I've told both of them how important this is."

Videl now knew why her Father looked a little uncomfortable. The Ox Princess was definitely intimidating and had a strong personality. There was something about her that exuded some strength that reminded Videl of someone but she couldn't place where. She squirmed in her seat a little. So this was supposed to be her future Mother in Law? Yikes. And where was the Prince? The one she was supposed to marry. Did he think he was too good to even show up?

 _'Good, maybe he won't show and I can get out of this.'_

Videl heard the sound of scurrying footsteps from around the corner and turned her head to see a young boy standing there, looking at her oddly. His black hair was a mess, wild almost to the point of looking unnatural, something she had seen before.

 _'Wait a minute…'_

"Goku?" she asked.

It definitely looked like the Former World Champion, especially with that unique hairstyle. Even the Gi the child was wearing looked right; the Orange colours of the Turtle School.

"No that's my Dad" the boy said scratching the back of his head "You know my Dad?"

"Your Dad? Your Dad's a legend!" Videl exclaimed, almost fangirling for a moment.

She turned to the Ox Princess who seemed surprised by the young girl's outburst.

"You're a fan of my husband?" Chi Chi asked

Videl looked at the Ox Princess and suddenly remembered why she was so familiar.

"You were Anonymous! During the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament! Oh my Kami I'm such a fan" she yelled, almost squealed shocking her Father.

"Wow it's nice to be remembered, I suppose" the now revealed fighter replied.

"You and your Husband are Idols of mine!" Videl said "I even based some of my fighting styles around you."

A slight blush appeared on Chi Chi's face. She had never had someone respond to meeting her like this. It felt nice. Maybe she could become close with Videl and have her be the daughter she never had. She was going to marry her son after all. Speaking of which…

"Goten, where is your brother?" she asked her younger son.

"Big Brother's on his way!" Goten said excitedly "He just wanted to wash his face."

Videl's eyes lay upon the young boy, Goten. It wasn't just his almost identical appearance to Goku that was etched in her memory. No, there was something else. She had seen his face before but she was struggling to remember it. It was when the Ox King walked over to ruffle the hair of his grandson when it hit her. With his hair pushed down it looked like one of the boys she saw in a picture on Gohan's phone.

 _'Wait… he said Big Brother…'_ Videl thought.

Her mind began speeding up and thinking back on what had happened just now and over the past few days. Here she was in the presence of one of her idols who was married to another of her heroes. Not only that but said idol was revealed to be royalty and the mother of the one she was supposed to be engaged to. She remembered Goku being a member of the Turtle School meaning he would be close with Krillin, one of her co-workers so to speak. Might they be best friends? Every tournament tape she had seen that involved the two seemed to say so. But then if Krillin's best friend was Goku and his best friend was also Gohan's Dad then that would mean…

"Big Brother's here!" yelled Goten, breaking Videl out of her mental trance as she turned to where the boy was pointing.

Her eyes opened wide to see another figure walking towards them from the shadows of the castle awnings. He was wearing an indigo gi with his arms and chest revealed, showing off the proud body of a seasoned fighter. His black hair stood up, almost defying gravity save for one thick lock that fell just between his eyebrows. His dark eyes coming in contact with her shaking blue ones causing both of them to stop and look at one another. They were silent for a moment when both managed to mutter out a word.

"… Gohan?"

"… Videl?"

* * *

Author's Notes:

Sorry this Chapter was a little later than usual! There's been a lot going on lately in my life so I haven't had the chance to properly sit down and review my writing/write some more. But they've finally met who they're betrothed to! Sorry that the ending seems a little cliff-hangery. Actually I'm not :D

Tactician, that's not a bad idea with a gravity room in the Ox Kingdom, I might use that if I can fit it in somewhere. I'm not sure if I'll do the Buu arc because it is sort of over done and it's already it's own story but I may do it in the future but in a way that's different and not just a carbon copy of the actual arc.

Queen Keesie, I know right! There's a reason why the Red Bracelet keeps getting mentioned other than the fact that they both have one. Hopefully I'll be able to write down my plans for it in a way that makes sense.

Thanks again to everyone for reading. I'm glad that a lot of you are enjoying reading this. If you do have any input, criticism or just want to let me know you like what you've read so far, please let me know! Reviews always make me happy.


	13. Chapter 13 - Deliver Me Truth

**Chapter 13: Delivery of Truth**

For a moment, everything seemed to stand still in the palace at Mt. Frypan. There wasn't a single word said for a good minute as the black eyes of Gohan Son looked into the blue of Videl Satan. Neither expected the other to be there and the shock was apparent to everyone present. On the Ox Princess Chi Chi's face was a look of slight delight. Some may say she was a woman with an evil streak in her for setting things up but she would pass them off. She could see the looks the two teens were giving each other. Both Hercule and the Ox King were a little more apprehensive. This could end quite badly if things weren't handled properly. Even Lime who only knew of Videl by name could feel that things could explode at any second. Meanwhile Goten was chasing butterflies.

"What… what are you doing here?" Gohan finally managed to ask.

"You… you're the Ox Prince?" Videl questioned to which Gohan hesitantly nodded.

Oh no, a ticked off Videl might not be the easiest thing to deal with. He swallowed what remaining saliva he had in his mouth as she walked towards him.

"Why didn't you tell me you were a Prince?"

"It uh, didn't cross my mind?" Gohan said, almost as soft as a whisper.

Seeing that Videl wasn't satisfied with this answer, Gohan continued to explain.

"Well, no one really knows and I never really saw myself as a Prince … besides I don't really want the attention."

Videl nodded in agreement. She understood the pain of having almost every part of her life documented in the media all because of who her Father was. Whether she got a new haircut, failed a test or made an appearance at some place, the tabloids would have it in the paper or on the net by the next morning. Suddenly she remembered that she had been hanging around Gohan lately and their current predicament. Was he only the way he was with her because he wanted to get close with her? Did he know about this whole arrangement and is that why he befriended her?

 _'No he isn't like that'_ Videl thought.

"Did you know?" she asked him.

"Know about what?"

"This… the whole engagement thing."

Gohan's cheeks began to flare red as he recalled the whole reason why he was at Mt. Frypan. The mystery girl he was to be engaged to was standing right in front of him. He was to be engaged with Videl Satan of all people.

"No!" he quickly answered throwing his hands up in surrender "No I only found out the other day."

"I see" Videl said, her voice quite low.

Her earlier thoughts of trying to turn off the then unknown Prince went out the window. She was glad that she decided to not be extremely rude and act more like herself. Gohan didn't deserve to be treated that way and at least he had knew and accepted her for who she was. Wait, why was she starting to have thoughts about this? Was she beginning to consider going ahead with this?

 _'At least it's Gohan'_ she began to think _'someone I can trust, I think.'_

Perhaps through their friendship they could work out a way to get out of this. They were both too young and Videl figured Gohan would be the type to avoid things like romantic relationships anyways. Seeing Videl deep in contemplation, Gohan turned to Mr. Satan. So this is why Hercule wanted to talk to him yesterday and asked him to look after Videl. Their eyes met and Gohan understood the look Mr. Satan was giving him. It was full of pleas, asking the young man to look after his daughter. Gohan nodded in understanding and ushered Videl to take a walk with him.

"Come on, let's walk around the gardens for a bit" he said.

She weakly acknowledged him and began to walk with him. Gohan turned behind him to see his Mother grinning in delight. He shook his head as the two disappeared around the corner. The two continued to walk beside each other in silence for a few minutes until Videl broke the awkward quietness.

"Look Gohan, nothing against you but… I don't particularly want to go ahead with this."

She looked down at the ground, unable to look Gohan in the eye. Maybe he kind of wanted this too but she didn't want to take that chance and hurt his feelings. He was too nice for that. A small smile of agreement appeared on Gohan's face.

"I don't want to either though you'll have a hard time convincing my Mother."

"She can't be that bad" Videl said as she chuckled.

Her nervous laughter stopped when she looked at Gohan with an uncomfortable look on his face.

"Is she really?" Videl asked.

Gohan nodded.

"I mean yeah I love my Mum but she can be a bit too… driven with her pursuits. Why do you think I'm so smart?"

Videl let out a small laugh.

"I guess we both have parents that expect too much of us" she stated causing Gohan to nod in agreement.

"Is this why you treated me like you would any other person? The day we first met, you didn't fawn over me like all the other kids. Was that because of who you are?" she asked, looking him in the eye.

"Cause I'm the Ox Prince? Err I guess so, I mean you're you. That's how I see you. Videl is Videl."

Videl shook her head as her eyes wandered from Gohan's face to his shoulder. The scar. It had to be him.

"No not that it's just…" she began before pausing, unsure about how to go about doing this.

Gohan looked down at her and saw she looked a little uncomfortable, a little confused. He hadn't seen Videl be like this in the time that he had known her up until yesterday. He could sense the fluctuating ki within her rising and falling, flailing around as if it were a fish out of water. What was making her feel this way? Was it him?

"It's just…" she took another deep breath.

 _'It's now or never'_ she thought.

"You're him, aren't you?"

"Uhh him? You're going to have to be more specific" Gohan said nervously.

Did Videl find out who he was? Sure he had probably given out a few hints every now and then but nothing conclusive. All in all, he wasn't even all that sure he wanted Videl to find out but for some reason, he felt like he could trust her. She was a good person. He looked at her but found her eyes unwilling to meet his own. Instead they seemed to find the pavement below their feet much more interesting. Her right foot seemed to be slowly wiping away the dirt from the stone tiles as she squirmed in place. Her hands seemed to be playing some random game with themselves. If Gohan didn't know any better it seemed that the strong crime fighting tomboy Videl Satan was acting kind of… girly.

"Are you the Gold Fighter?" she asked, looking into his eyes.

Gohan was taken aback. He wasn't sure how to respond. Should he lie and say no? He probably should have seen it coming but was still surprised she came up and said it.

"Why… why would you think something like that?" he stammered.

Videl slowly raised her hand causing Gohan to wince in anticipation until she rested it on his left shoulder. Her thin delicate fingers then began to trace down the long scar on his arm.

"The Gold Fighter has the exact same scar" she said with resolve.

 _'Shit I should have figured'_ Gohan thought, nervously scratching the back of his head.

"He's got the same build as you, the same facial features, heck if you dyed your hair blonde, it'd be exactly the same" Videl said.

A few drops of sweat began to drip down Gohan's head. Why was this girl making him so nervous? What does she really think? He looked deep into her blue eyes, like an endless horizon across the seas. Full of emotion though of what exactly, he couldn't tell and it was unnerving him a little.

 _'I've fought Intergalactic Tyrants, a Super Sentai knock off Squad, some killer robots and a biological weapon of mass destruction and I can't even handle Videl looking at me like that.'_

"So tell me Gohan… I… I need to know this" she said, breaking eye contact as she said it.

Gohan began to weigh the pros and cons of revealing himself to Videl. She could honestly oust his secrets if he told her and blabbed to the world though that wasn't something in her character. Maybe she'd use the knowledge against him somehow? Who knows but it didn't seem that way. Maybe she'd even accept him for who he was. A true friend. Though with this current arrangement between their families, she'd probably find out anyway if Chi Chi had any say in it. If his Mother did want him to marry Videl, she would undoubtedly find out and the longer he'd deny it or lie to her, the worse the consequences would get. Figuring that confirming her suspicions was the best course of action, Gohan looked Videl in the eyes and nodded.

"I… I am the Gold Fighter."

A wave of emotions came over Videl as he confirmed what had been troubling her mind over the past month. Relief that she had finally confirmed and met the Delivery Boy from the Cell Games, someone she had been interested in for such a long time. Proud that she had figured out the mystery identity of the Gold Fighter. Awe that she was in the presence of someone who seemed to have so much power yet had been a friend to her. No, was still a friend to her. She remembered their conversations the day before and how Gohan had tried to make her feel better, giving her advice even when she hadn't told him every little detail. It made her feel special, to be honest.

Suddenly she remembered the whole reason she was here in the first place. She was to be engaged… to the Ox Prince. Engaged to the Delivery Boy. Engaged to the Gold Fighter. Engaged… to Gohan Son. Her cheeks began to flush red as she remembered what Erasa had said last night. The battle for her heart she called it between the Ox Prince, the Gold Fighter/Delivery Boy and Gohan. Somehow the three apparent contestants for her heart were in fact one. But did she really feel that way? She had wanted to get out of this arrangement no matter what but now things were different. Now things were more complicated. She had always had a long standing crush on the Delivery Boy ever since she first saw him and lately, she did notice after Erasa said that she was becoming sort of attached to Gohan. How's a girl to deal with all of this? Noticing she was struggling internally, Gohan asked with concern

"Are you okay, Videl?"

Videl weakly nodded. She wasn't really okay, well maybe she was. She was more confused.

"I think so it's just… it's just a lot to take in, you know?" she replied.

Gohan understood. At least, he figured it'd be incredibly confusing for a human at first. Having grown up with the life he had, he didn't know how normal humans could understand or find out about things like this.

"Is it real?" Videl asked.

"Is what real?"

"You know, the light beams, the super strength, being able to fly. I saw a little from the old World Martial Arts Tournament clips but seeing you do it in person is just…"

She was cut off by a soft glow of light emanating from the outstretched hand of Gohan. It flickered lightly as he held it in front of her. She was entranced by it, almost wanting to touch it. Slowly Videl moved her hand close to it, feeling the warmth radiating from it.

"This is Ki" Gohan said "And yes, it's all real."

"Can you teach me?" she asked.

Gohan pondered for a moment. It would make sense if his Mother and Mr. Satan were going to force them to spend time together, as well as go ahead with this whole engagement marriage deal.

 _'Besides, if she's going to be my wife then she should learn how to do these kinds of things.'_

Gohan's eyes widened as he realized what he just thought. Maybe he was getting ahead of himself. He wasn't even sure if he liked Videl like that. Though she was admittedly very attractive…

"Wh-what about the um question I err asked of you? Do you want to... to learn just to get out of that.. that shadow?" he nervously asked.

Videl was confused why he suddenly changed demeanour. She thought for a moment.

 _'No, just trying to get out of that shadow isn't enough. It's not just about me.'_

"I want to be strong so I can protect people… like you did. Like you still do."

Gohan smiled. That was a good answer.

"Well, since our parents will be expecting us to spend time together, I guess I could teach you a thing or two" he said in jest earning him a slight jab on the shoulder from Videl.

"Shush you" she said as she tried to jab him again but this time, her arm was caught by his hand.

They both looked down as they felt something against their wrists. The red threaded bracelets had come in contact with each other. Both pairs of eyes wandered down to their arms and caught sight of the contacting jewellery. Slightly embarrassed, Videl turned her eyes down towards the ground. Gohan's eyes lingered there for a moment and for a second he felt a subtle wave of energy come over him.

 _'What was that?'_ he wondered.

"The bracelets… are they special or anything?" Videl asked, her gaze still firmly on the ground.

"They were my Grandmother's" Gohan responded "At least, that's what I was told."

A soft smile appeared on Videl's face. So it turns out the Old King that had given her Father this bracelet to give to her was Gohan's Grandfather. Who would have thought that the shy, nerdy geek Gohan turned out to be a Prince?

"You um… you can let go of me now, Gohan" Videl said.

Instantly Gohan unhanded her, his cheeks overcome with a rosy visage.

"Sssorry" he apologized.

"It's okay but tell me, the Delivery Boy from the Cell Games, that was you wasn't it?" Videl asked.

She already knew it was him, all the evidence pointed to it but she still needed him to confirm it. Gohan looked down at the shorter girl and nodded. He wasn't all that ready to reveal everything to her. How would she react if she really knew her Father had lied to the world? That he had lied to her. How would she feel that the life she knew wasn't really the life she thought it was? But the way she was looking at him told him that she was ready to accept whatever he told her. She was ready to accept the truth.

"Yeah that was me" he said.

"Then… can you tell me what really happened? I have doubts about whether or not my Dad really did beat Cell. In fact, I think the past few years, I really thought it had to be one of you guys. It just seemed strange to me that my Dad as strong as he is could compete with someone like Cell who could take out an entire army."

Gohan stood there amazed that the Satan Heiress was different. Maybe this is what she meant when she said Hercule used to be her hero. After all, every child's Father was their hero. Goku was certainly his. He listened intently as she continued.

"After the Cell Games he started to drink and party more, I hardly ever saw him training and he certainly stopped training me so I began to watch the old World Martial Arts Tournament tapes. I watched your Dad, your Mum, Krillin and that compete. I saw all the things they could do, how they fought and wanted to model myself after them. I wanted to be able to do the things they could. I wanted to be like them. To be like you" she added.

The last line brought another smile to Gohan's face. It felt nice to be respected like this. After years of being hidden away from the world, protecting them from the shadows, to be acknowledged like that felt really good. Videl looked deeply into his eyes. She decided to keep her longstanding crush on the Delivery Boy a secret. Besides, there were more important things to talk about right now. Besides, there were more important things to talk about right now.

"So can you tell me? Who really beat Cell?"

Gohan took a deep breath and a moment to steady himself. He never thought he'd have to reveal this to anyone in the world, least of all to Videl Satan. As he grew older and more mature, he understood that Mr. Satan taking credit for the defeat of Cell and dismissing Ki usage as tricks was necessary for the world. They just weren't ready for that. They just couldn't understand it just yet. But what he didn't really understand was why Mr. Satan never told Videl. She didn't deserve to be lied to. And so that's why Gohan decided, not to lie to her now or ever, as long as he could help it.

"I did" he finally stated.

Videl's eyes widened at this revelation. True enough, the Delivery Boy was the last person shown on the broadcast to be fighting Cell before it cut off. In fact, there had only been three actual combatants that actually fought Cell himself: Her Father, the older Gold Fighter and Gohan himself.

 _'Wait a minute…'_ Videl thought _'The older Gold Fighter looked kind of like Gohan and… and the young boy, Goten. Oh my Kami but that means… Goku was that Gold Fighter and… he must've died there. Gohan's father died at the Cell Games'_

A flood of sadness came over Videl as she looked at the young man standing on front of her. What unspeakable horrors had he gone through? Who would have thought that the geeky Gohan who stood away from all attention had in fact saved the world from the most horrible of all calamities? Overcome with emotion for him, she moved forward and wrapped her arms around Gohan, pulling him into a hug. Gohan almost fell over at the sudden contact. He caught himself as Videl rested her head against his chest.

"Thank you" she whispered against his slightly exposed torso.

Gohan stood there as Videl embraced him, unsure of what to do. This was really out of Videl's character but he had to admit. It felt nice, really nice. He wrapped his arms around her small frame and hugged her back. They stood there in silence, holding one another in an embrace as time went by. Eventually Videl pulled back slightly embarrassed at the show of skinship between them.

"So um, I know I've seen you as the Gold Fighter before but… do you think…" she began to say, her eyes slightly wavering, looking around at everywhere but Gohan.

Gohan was slightly taken a back at this. It wasn't like Videl to be so… bashful.

"What is it?"

"Do you think… can you um… transform into your Gold Fighter form? For me?" she shyly asked.

A faint smirk appeared on Gohan's visage. Who know Videl could be so adorable?

"Alright, stand back a little" he instructed as he took a step away from her.

Videl did as she was told and moved backwards to give Gohan enough room. She looked at him intently as he took a stance with his arms locked against his sides. He let out a low, almost primal growl as the air around them began to swirl. Videl could feel the pressure against her body, almost like it was gently nudging her away. She stood there in awe as Gohan's hair began to flicker gold, his eyes slowly becoming teal. With a shimmer of light, Gohan tensed his body and forced his energy through the invisible barrier as he completed his transformation. Videl had to cover her eyes at the sudden flash of light. As the brightness faded and her vision returned, she stood there in awe, gazing upon the being standing in front of her.

"Wow…" was all she could say.

She had fought alongside the Gold Fighter for a month now and had befriended the kind boy Gohan Son over that time too but to see them as one for the first time was unbelievable. Ever slowly, she began to step forward towards Gohan until they stood inches from each other. Her sapphire eyes almost seemed to shimmer in the reflection of Gohan's golden aura as she looked into his teal eyes. Gohan's gaze seemed to bore into hers, never breaking contact. He soon felt a soft, cool touch against his cheek. The feeling of Videl's delicate fingers against his skin was almost exhilarating to him, causing his heart to beat a little faster. Unknown to him, his hands had seemed to find their way to Videl's waist, holding her gently, almost pulling her small body against his larger frame.

There were no words spoken as they continued to look into each other's eyes. Gradually, the space between them began to close. Videl could feel the energy radiating from Gohan against her face. Gohan's breath seemed to be caught in his throat as he prepared himself for what was about to happen. He began to lean down to meet her half way as Videl stood up onto her toes to make contact with the Son boy. She began to turn her head slightly as her eyes closed, the image of his supple lips the last thing etched in her mind. Just as their lips were about to touch, a strong gust of wind blew past them, startling them and breaking the two teens from their trance.

"Hey Gohan!" two voices called out.

Videl quickly unlatched herself from Gohan, awkwardly dusting off some non-existent dirt on herself. She looked around for what disturbed their moment and found two boys looking at them with disgusted faces. It was Goten and another boy around the same age that Videl didn't know. He had lavender hair that was parted down the middle and wore a forest green gi. He looked like a fighter, even for his young age, just like young Goten.

"Ew Gohan!" the boy in question said "Were you and that girl gonna be all kissy kissy?"

"Hehe yuck" Goten added.

Gohan began to clumsily defend himself in panic.

"No! We… we were… we were just um. What are you two even doing here? And when did you get here, Trunks?"

"Your Mum asked my Mum to drop by. She said your future wife was here so Mum wanted to meet her" Trunks said in a teasing tone.

True enough, Gohan had been so focused on Videl that he didn't notice anyone else arrive.

"Bulma's here? Oh great" Gohan sighed.

Today was going to get a lot more complicated. He looked over to the girl standing beside him. She was clearly embarrassed about their earlier situation. He looked down to find Goten tugging at his Gi pants.

"Hey Big Brother, since you're like that, can we be like you too?" he innocently asked.

"Err what do you mean?" Gohan wondered.

A smirk appeared on Trunks face as he pulled Goten beside him. With a nod the two both transformed into Super Saiyans, surprising both Gohan and Videl.

"What the… When did you guys learn how to become Super?" Gohan asked, purposely leaving out the Saiyan part. He wasn't quite ready to tell Videl all about that part of him just yet.

"Uh, we don't know" Goten answered, scratching the back of his head.

"It just happened" Trunks added.

Videl's eyes were wide open as her jaw hung down. These two kids were Gold Fighters too. Well she shouldn't be surprised knowing Gohan and what she had seen of the people at the Cell Games. His Father, Goku was a Gold Fighter as well and from what she remembered there were two others there that could transform into Gold Fighters. Heck, Goten in his current appearance looked exactly like Goku as a Gold Fighter during the Cell Games only shrunk down. Perhaps she could ask Gohan about them later.

"We'll train later, go back to your Mothers" Gohan commanded.

The two boys sighed dejectedly before powering down and running back towards the castle. Gohan glanced down at the girl beside him who seemed to be contemplating something. How to grill him about that, no doubt. He wasn't sure if he was quite ready to tell her about that side of his life just yet.

"We should um… we should probably go back too" he managed to mumble out.

Videl looked up at her companion, his lips instantly coming into view of her gaze causing her cheeks to redden at the thought of what almost happened earlier.

 _'I can't believe we almost… and I… Bah! Get a hold of yourself Videl Satan!'_ she screamed internally.

"Ye-yeah" she replied nervously.

Just before Gohan began to walk away, Videl's voice interrupted his stride.

"Hey about earlier… we should just um…" she started.

"Forget it?" he interrupted, almost a little too quickly to both their disappointments.

It would have been the first kiss for both of them and clearly neither of them quite knew how to react to it.

"Uhh yeah" Videl said "we should just forget it"

It was almost disappointing to both of them to hear the other agree though neither of them would admit that. Clearly there was some form of attraction between them albeit, hidden though Videl had long crushed on the Delivery Boy. She was cursing herself mentally for almost letting her hormones take control of her around him.

No more words had been spoken between the two of them as they made their way back, peering into the gardens to find that their families had relocated to somewhere within the castle. Deciding to follow Gohan as he seemed to know where he was going, Videl couldn't help but steal glances at the boy walking beside her.

 _'What am I going to do? I don't exactly want to be forced into this marriage but… but… but it's him! I've finally found him and he's… he's Gohan! I know he's the Delivery Boy but do I like him like that? Do I want to go ahead with this?'_

Her internal debate was halted when they reached two large wooden doors with gold adornments. The designs weren't intricate but from what Videl could see, they had amazing craftsmanship. With minimal effort, Gohan pushed one of the doors open and ushered Videl inside. The room wasn't overtly grand but was quite spacious. In the middle was a long table made of marble lined with mahogany chairs. Several people were seated at one end of the table conversing with one another. Videl recognized the Ox King, her Father who seemed to be uncharacteristically nervous and the girl Lime from earlier on one side with the two boys that had interrupted her and Gohan on another side sitting next to a blue haired woman that seemed to radiate elegance.

 _'Wait a minute that's…'_

"Bulma Briefs?!" she blurted out, causing everyone in the room to take notice of the two entering the room.

The bluenette in question smiled at dark haired teen and motioned her to sit beside her.

"You must be Videl! Chi Chi and your Father have been telling me all about you!" she cheerfully said with her hand outstretched towards the nervous teen.

Videl could feel a breath stuck in her throat, her hands seemed to be perspiring a little more than usual. It wasn't every day you meet the richest, smartest and most successful woman in the world even if you are Videl Satan. She quickly wiped her hands on her long white shirt and took Bulma's hand into her own, shaking it respectfully.

"It's an honour to meet you, Miss Briefs" Videl said with a bow of her head.

"Please, just call me Bulma though it's actually Mrs. Briefs but that makes me sound old."

Videl gave the Capsule Corp Heiress an awkward smile before she turned to Gohan who had plopped down on the seat beside her.

"Why didn't you tell me you knew Bulma Briefs?" she asked, almost half yelling at the poor boy.

"Err, I didn't know it was important?" he replied nervously.

The dark haired girl's eyes narrowed in a slight glare at the Ox Prince causing Bulma to lightly chuckle at the exchange.

 _'Kinda reminds me a little of Chi Chi'_ she mused.

Speaking of which, the doors on the other side of the room opened up to the sight of Chi Chi and several servants bringing in large plates of food. Videl couldn't believe her eyes. This was probably enough to feed everyone in her whole class minus Gohan. That darn boy was a bottomless pit when it came to food. He had tried to hide it at first but as he got comfortable over time, he began to show his eating habits more and more, much to the disgust and amusement of his friends. It was almost a little endearing to see him relaxed around them. Videl surveyed the assortment of dishes in front of her, varying from stir fries to noodle dishes, spring rolls and meat. In the corner of her eye, Videl could see Gohan basically drooling over the array of food displayed before them. It was kind of adorable in a geeky sort of way. Videl chuckled lightly to see the two boys were also of similar expression.

Within a few seconds, Videl's mouth had dropped to the ground as she saw not just Gohan but his little brother Goten and Trunks ravage their way through their meals. She looked around the room at the other occupants. Clearly they were used to this as everyone else save her Father seemed to be eating at their own pace. Then she just remembered.

Her Father.

She had been so focused on the revelation of Gohan being the Ox Prince, the Gold Fighter and the Delivery boy all at once that she had almost forgotten about her Dad. How could she face him now after he had lied not just to the World but to her? Why did he do it? She wasn't quite sure if she could handle being around him just yet. As much as she wanted to come out of her Father's shadow, she still loved him and was proud of his achievements. He better have a good reason why he did it. She wasn't all that sure she could forgive him. He could have at least told her the truth after all these years. She glanced over at Gohan who had taken a short break from inhaling his food. Their eyes met and when he noticed that she had been looking at Mr. Satan, he shot her an apologetic smile.

"Oh yeah before I forget, Gohan" Bulma said "Vegeta wanted you to go see him and Piccolo on the Lookout when you're done here."

Both Videl and Gohan noticed that Mr. Satan tensed up a little at the mention of Piccolo. It could be that he was just remembering the Demon King Piccolo and thought it was the same person or maybe there was more. Videl made a mental note to ask Gohan about that later. It was just another question to add to the already long list.

"I'll head there when I'm done eating then" Gohan said.

"Oh no, you don't!" Chi Chi interrupted "We still have to talk about this engagement and who knows how long those two brutes will keep you there."

Gohan grumbled in resignation. It wasn't long til the three blackholes had their appetites satiated, much to the discomfort of the guests. Mr. Satan almost looked like he wanted to leave as soon as he could. The two kids had gone off to explore the castle as they hadn't been here all that often and Bulma had flown back home for a work meeting leaving the rest of the group sitting awkwardly at the table.

"So um…" Gohan began, trying to push things along so he could go meet with Vegeta and Piccolo.

He'd rather not be cooped up in here, being forced into uncomfortable situations with Videl and out there, probably sparring knowing those two. They were Martial Artists not Marital Artists. He looked at his Mother who seemed to be busy coming up with several events for the unwilling couple. Better not trigger those fantasies. He glanced to his Grandfather and Lime who both shot him reassuring smiles.

"This is so awkward…" Videl muttered under her breath causing Gohan to almost snort.

A few more minutes of silence passed until Chi Chi decided to take matters into her hands like she probably should have ten minutes ago.

"Right well, first things first. We need to set a date for the wedding! Now we can't legally marry them until both Gohan and Videl are of age so, Videl when is your birthday?"

"May 29th" Videl replied.

"Perfect! Gohan's is May 18th so we can set the date for some time in June, preferably during the first week. Are you writing this down, Lime?" Chi Chi continued.

Knowing full well that something like this would happen, Lime had pulled out her tablet and had already begun diligently typing down notes. It was expected whenever Chi Chi was planning something.

"Now Mum, I don't think Videl and I want to rush into anyth-" Gohan began before Chi Chi cut him off.

"Nonsense! I've been looking forward to this for seven years now! This is going to happen!"

Gohan sheepishly nodded and sunk back into his chair.

 _'Mummy's boy'_ Videl internally giggled at the boy beside her before she began to consider her options _'Looks like any way to avoid this marriage has to be done while avoiding his Mother.'_

She looked up at the Ox King who looked like he had something to say.

"Now Chi, don't forget what we discussed the other day. Do you want to have the wedding before or after?"

'Okay now why are they being cryptic' Gohan wondered.

If Videl and Mr. Satan were to become family, shouldn't they be told? As if almost on cue, Hercule asked a question.

"Is everything going to be okay? My little sweet pea's still going to be a Princess, right?"

Videl scoffed at the affectionate names. Princess Videl certainly did have a ring to it. But she wasn't about that life. As she could see, neither was Gohan which was something she appreciated. An almost amused smile appeared on Chi Chi's face.

"If we have it after then no, she will not" she stated.

"What do you mean?! I thought this was all part of the arrangement!" Hercule yelled, standing up so quickly that his seat had fallen over behind him.

'Does this mean it's not going ahead?' both teens thought in their minds.

"Calm down Hercule" the Ox King softly spoke "Chi Chi, stop playing around"

The Ox Princess chuckled lightly.

"No, she won't be a Princess. Instead, she's going to be a Queen."

If their jaws could actually reach the ground, you would be able to hear both Satan's causing a mini-shockwave. Videl's mouth had gone dry. Was Gohan expected to take the throne that quickly? And she… she would be his Queen? Finding his voice, Hercule spoke up.

"I uh, well… I kind of half expected this but didn't think it would be for a while. Is this related to what you said about taking over your Grandfather's business, Gohan?"

The boy in question nodded.

"Yeah… Grandpa's well… he's…"

He turned to his Grandfather who smiled that it was okay.

"Since you are both to be family, I probably should have been clear about this" the Ox King began "I have maybe two or three years left to live due to my illness. I will be abdicating my throne to Gohan."

 _'So this is what the kid meant yesterday'_ Hercule thought _'Poor guy, having to lose so much yet bearing so much responsibility'_

Videl turned to the young man beside her who had taken to fidgeting with the armrest of his seat. There was a solemn look on his face. One of a young man who was scared of what he had to do but still had to do it. In the short time that she had known him, he had come off at first as overtly shy, a little naïve and kind of awkward but he was well meaning, he was compassionate and listened to her even when he probably didn't have to. Almost instinctively she reached out and grasped his hand within her own.

Gohan was startled by this sudden contact. He looked at Videl who smiled gently at him causing his heart to melt. It was almost like she understood the responsibilities and expectations he'd have to live up to. He smiled back at her and squeezed her smaller hand in acknowledgement. Their moment was quickly interrupted and they broke apart when the Ox King spoke again, a hint of amusement in the tone of his voice.

"Well, I of course will be teaching him how to run the country and to be a great leader. He will however, need someone who can fully support him."

The Ox King turned to Videl and smiled. He could see that there was already a connection between the two. Yes, she would be perfect. Videl felt slightly uncomfortable under the gaze of the old Monarch but steeled herself to avoid looking nervous. She turned away from his beading eyes and began to lightly tug on her red bracelet. The very same bracelet that the Ox King had given her Father to give to her all those years ago. Noticing what she was doing, the Ox King eyed the red jewellery and began to ponder if what he was told about them many years ago was true.

 _'A question that could be answered in the coming months'_ he thought.

Seeing the reservation in the two dark haired teens, he moved to reassure them.

"Do not worry. Myself and some trusted advisors will assist you both. Do not think that because you will be marrying the King that all you have to do is stand by his side and look pretty. Your Father has told me that you are not that kind of woman and would love to work hard for what you get."

The Ox King's words brought a smile to Videl's face. If there was anything she hated in most in the world it was being looked down upon because of her gender and size. If they were indeed planning on her becoming the Queen of a Kingdom, she was glad that they had plans for her to become involved with things. Still, she'd prefer to be out there, helping out with cases than sitting in a room talking about things.

"Right, so I guess we'll have the wedding first then the coronation of both of them?" Lime interjected.

Both the Ox King and Chi Chi agreed on that, instructing Lime to jot everything down.

"For now, pencil in June 14th for the wedding and the coronation two weeks after."

"Th-that quick?" Videl asked.

Gohan gulped at the dates. It was early October so that would mean he would be both a married man and a king in less than a year. Was he ready for either of these? In all honesty, he was scared. Not just because he was expected to take the throne and become the leader of a kingdom that had been thriving for the past decade. Would he be able to lead them into a continued era of prosperity? Maybe, with the right help. But what really scared him was the prospect of being married to Videl Satan. She was perhaps, the most desired girl of their age. Gohan probably wouldn't admit it but he was starting to become attracted to the Satan heiress. She was undoubtedly beautiful but was also strong, determined and resourceful. Would she make a great Queen? What about a great wife or mother? Gohan lightly blushed at where his thoughts had led him. Not to mention earlier when they were about to…

"Are we all done then?" he quickly asked, trying to get out of there so he could go see Vegeta and Piccolo.

"Ugh fine! Go see those two brutes" his Mother screeched "But you better put more effort into this, okay?!"

"Err okay, yes Mum."

Gohan stood up and began to walk away when he was stopped by Videl.

"Can I go with you?" she asked.

She was kinda curious about where he was going and what this Vegeta and Piccolo wanted with him. She also wanted to avoid the ride home with her Father. She wasn't sure she could talk to him still. There was a lot going through her mind.

"Uh I'm not sure that's a good idea" Gohan replied.

Seeing that Videl wasn't particularly happy with that response, he continued.

"But I see you still have a lot of questions for me so uh… you could stay here until I get back? I'm not sure when that is though."

Videl nervously tried to decline.

"Oh I don't know, I don't want to intrude here in case you take a while but…"

"Nonsense Videl!" Chi Chi interjected "This place is just as much your home now as it is Gohan's."

Videl turned to her Father who had been quiet since his earlier outburst.

"I'm going to stay here this weekend then" she stated, not giving him any option to say no.

He simply nodded and went on his way out of the room with the Ox King. Videl turned to Gohan who smiled at her.

"I'll be back in a while then."

With that, he took off, leaving Videl to contemplate everything she had learnt today. Who would have thought this quiet, young man had so much responsibility. He was the Ox Prince, the future Ruler of a whole Kingdom. He was the Delivery Boy, the real victor of the Cell Games. He had saved the world as a young boy. He was the Gold Fighter. He could have just let things be but he would never stand idly by whilst people got hurt. Even though she never asked for it, he always looked out for her, saving her whenever she got into trouble.

An almost dreamy smile graced her lips. He was her fiancé.

And she wasn't all that sure how to react.

* * *

Author's Notes:

Sorry I've been slacking a bit again! I bought the new Spider-man game and well... it's pretty good haha.

I feel like I probably could have done this Chapter a bit better but I'm glad to get that part of the story out there. There's definitely some conflicting emotions between our two main characters. There's definitely an attraction between them. Who knows how deep it runs. ;)

Sorry not sorry for that cliffhanger last chapter.

Lightningblalde49, she might be! She's still fighting it but part of her is slowly accepting it.

iMysticalDBZ, thanks for the kind words! I will admit, I probably didn't write the planning of the engagement all that well but thank you for enjoying this anyways.

Zeromaru Chaos Mode, yea I agree. Gohan's still a dork at heart but the Saiyaman persona was a bit too much for me. It might be suited for other stories but I didn't feel like it was needed for this one. I love Power Rangers too. Best season In Space.

Thanks as always to everyone else that has left kind words on how they've been enjoying this story! Means a lot to me and I'm kinda shocked to see over 100 favourites already. Shout out to you guys.

I'd also like to leave you guys with a question. I'm not 100% sure on which option I'll be going with but I could use your opinion.

Do you prefer Videl with long hair or short hair? Personally I've always been more on the Twin Tails Videl team. Had a crush on her growing up because of that heh but the short hair look does suit her personality and character growth a bit more. What do you guys think?

As always, leave a review if you have any thoughts you'd like to share with me!


	14. Chapter 14 - Learning

**Chapter 14: Learning**

The cool afternoon breeze gently blew against Videl's face as she sat in the middle of one of the many gardens in the castle. The Ox King and Lime had left to attend to other duties whilst Chi Chi had gone down to the kitchens to prepare the next feast for the food vacuums known as her sons. Her Father had left rather quickly after a short conversation with the Ox King, leaving Videl alone to her thoughts. After settling into her room, she had taken a walk around the castle grounds, eventually finding the spot in which she was now sitting. It was extremely peaceful, the way the leaves were rustling gently in the wind was almost soothing to her ears.

Due to being built into a raised side of the mountain, the castle had a grand view of the city sprawled out below it. It was almost picturesque especially compared to the urban jungles of Satan and West City. There were fewer high rise skyscrapers and a lot more of the old Eastern Style buildings and the city was bordered by an expanse of tall trees and vast plains. To think that Gohan would be the leader of not just this city but this country in less than a year's time. To think that she would be right there with him.

 _'Maybe I'm getting ahead of myself'_ she thought.

A buzz in her pocket broke her out of her stupor. She flipped out her phone and found a text message from Erasa.

 _'Hey girl, how's everything? Call tonight?'_

Videl wasn't sure how long her conversation with Gohan tonight would go. If he even came back at a reasonable time. And she was definitely not looking forward to talking to Erasa right now. She'd probably ask a million questions about the Prince, if he was handsome, how big the castle is, if his body is amazing. A light blush graced Videl's cheeks.

 _'It is pretty amazing…'_ she thought before she mentally slapped herself for acting like Erasa and every other girl at school.

Besides, she wasn't all that sure if Gohan was comfortable with people knowing who he was. At least that's what she assumed. He had always been someone to shy away from attention. It was in his character.

 _'Not sure if I'll have time this weekend. Catch up on Monday?'_

Videl knew that she couldn't put this off for too long otherwise Erasa would constantly nag her for answers. She was similar to Videl in that aspect. And especially considering it had to do with Videl's love life, Erasa was definitely interested. She just needed to talk to Gohan first to see where things were at. She wasn't even sure she liked him that way. Erasa's reply soon came which Videl scoffed at.

 _'Too busy making out with the Prince huh? Fine fine, see you Monday ya sloot ;)'_

 _'Fuck off lol'_ she replied before shoving the device back into her pocket.

It had already been an hour, maybe two since Gohan had left the castle and she was starting to get impatient. Perhaps she could go find something to do in the castle, maybe talk to Lime if she wasn't too busy. She seemed like a nice enough girl. Though a part of Videl wondered what the relationship was between the Ox King's assistant and Gohan. Lime was pretty enough and was close to the Royal Family.

"Gah, don't even be like that!" she yelled at herself.

"Don't be like what?" a small voice asked, startling Videl.

She turned around to see large black eyes staring at her. Gohan's little brother Goten was looking at her, head tilted to one side, wondering what the teenage girl was doing.

"Why are you talking to yourself, Videl?" he innocently asked.

Slightly embarrassed at being questioned by a child, Videl shook her head at the boy.

"Err nothing, sometimes it just helps me to think. Do you understand?"

"Not really but okay" Goten replied with a smile.

'That damn smile' Videl laughed 'Just like Gohan's'

"Mum said you're going to be my sister. Is that true?" the lad asked.

Videl lightly blushed. Did the kid want her to be his sister? In all honesty, she had always wanted a younger sibling growing up. Especially with her Mother gone and her Father out with his endeavours, Videl felt a little bit lonely.

"I'm not sure yet but… do you want me to be your sister?" she asked.

Goten vigorously nodded, a large grin appearing on his face.

"Yeah! I do!"

Videl gave the boy a soft smile. His good mood and happy go lucky nature seemed to be almost infectious.

"Why do you want me to be your sister?" she asked.

"Well because then that's something else I beat Trunks in! He always has everything just because his Mum is super rich and even though Mummy says I'm a Prince, she doesn't let me have all the toys or things I want but Trunks doesn't have a brother and he's a bit jealous that Gohan's my brother and then if you're my sister he'll be jealous too because you're really pretty even though your Dad has that really funny haircut and Gohan will be happy if you marry him" Goten said, all in one breath.

"Uh okay wow."

Videl was stunned. How did that boy just say all of that in one go?

"Do you really think Gohan will be happy if I marry him?" she asked, trying to gauge if Gohan had told Goten anything about her.

"Well yeah. Girls are kinda icky but you seem alright and Gohan told me once you fight crime with him which is really cool! If Gohan doesn't want to marry you then I'll make him! Or Mum will."

"I see" Videl said, trying to hold in her laughter.

The boy was just too adorable.

"How old are you Goten?"

"I'm 6 and a half" he replied.

Videl giggled at the 'and a half'. When growing up, the fraction added onto your age was definitely important. But then she remembered the Cell Games was 7 years ago, almost 8. Goten must not have met his Father if Goku died at the Cell games. The thought struck at Videl's heart.

"I see. I'm 17. Gohan's the same age as me right?"

"Yeah but he told me that his body's older because he spent a year with Dad inside the Hypertronic or Megatonic or something like that Time Chamber. I forget"

Videl blinked.

"The what now?"

"I don't know" Goten said "He just told me this story that before he and Dad fought Cell, they trained in this big white room for a whole year!"

"Wow, have you ever been in there?"

"No but I've been near it once. It's on the Lookout but I've never had to go in there. I want to though!"

"The Lookout?" Videl asked "What's that?"

"It's where Dende and Mr. Piccolo live. That's where they watch over the world. Gohan's gone there right now."

"Watch over the world? Like Kami?" Videl asked in astonishment.

The boy nodded.

"Yeah that's what they call Dende. He's been Big Brother's friend for a while."

On top of Gohan being the Ox Prince, Delivery Boy and Gold Fighter he also knew Kami? Good lord, what couldn't this guy do.

"That's… that's amazing" Videl said in astonishment.

"Yeah Big Brother's pretty cool."

Noticing the tone of admiration in Goten's voice, Videl smiled at the boy.

"You really love him, don't you?"

"Of course! Gohan's the best big brother in the world! He always looks after me and plays with me too!"

The boy's enthusiasm was definitely addictive. Videl lightly ruffled his hair and bent down to his level.

"He must be amazing then."

Goten smiled at her.

"Do you want to play with me too? Then you can be the best big sister in the world!" he asked.

Videl laughed and nodded, holding out her hand towards Goten. If Gohan was going to take a while then she might as well do something to pass the time. Maybe she could learn more about Gohan through Goten.

"If that's the title I get then sure, let's go play."

Goten beamed at her and took her hand into his smaller one. It was a lot softer and more delicate than Gohan's but the feeling was the same whenever he held his Big Brother's hand. Goten was very happy with his new Big Sister.

* * *

A white blur sped through the open sky towards the direction of the Land of Korin. Gohan could have been flying at a much faster speed but there was quite a bit on his mind. He needed the peace and quiet, even if it were just a few minutes. Surely Vegeta and Piccolo could wait a little longer. They were probably just punching the living daylights out of each other. Piccolo was one of the few people that Vegeta would spar with, especially considering Gohan was so busy with his studies and now school. The Saiyan Prince had changed quite a bit over the years. Though he was still proud and arrogant, he respected the Z fighters a lot more and even acted like a proper father to Trunks, albeit in his own harsh Saiyan way.

Piccolo was one of the few strong enough to spar with him which improved both fighters' skills. Vegeta had even taken to being an almost Father-Uncle like figure towards Gohan and Goten in Goku's absence. He often lambasted their 'third class warrior' heritage and soft upbringing, especially when it came to Chi Chi forcing them to study but still looked out for them, hoping that they would continue to train to uphold the legacy of the Saiyan Race. Though they had their differences in the past, Vegeta respected Tien's attitude towards constantly training and honing his body and craft, something the Prince of All Saiyans prided himself with. He even found Krillin's attitude to always trying even when he was grossly outmatched to be admirable though he would never let the Baldy (who wasn't even bald anymore) know. All in all, Vegeta in his own way came to be on friendly terms with the Z Fighters. Except Yamcha. In Vegeta's own words

"Fuck that guy."

Gohan laughed at the memory of Vegeta's constant dislike of the former Turtle School Student turned Professional Baseball player. Purely because he used to date Bulma. Gohan began to wonder if Videl had any previous relationships or experiences with guys. Did she used to have a boyfriend? Does she currently like someone? And if she did, what would happen now considering their arranged marriage and their almost but not really kiss. The thought of Videl having someone else in her heart made his drop for a moment. Why was he feeling this way? His mind was still set on the blue eyed girl. She was so beautiful and he almost…

 _'Gah, get it together Gohan.'_

Luckily enough, he had reached the Lookout causing his attention to be focused on the two figures that seemed to have been waiting for him, quite impatiently, he might add.

"Took you long enough" Piccolo said.

Vegeta growled.

"I don't like to be kept waiting. No matter if you're at your stupid school or finding some girl to fuck."

Gohan's face instantly flared red.

"I wasn't doing that! And Videl isn't just some girl!" he yelled back.

The trademark smirk of Vegeta graced the elder Saiyan's lips.

"Oh Videl is it? I see you've already fallen head over heels for her. Tell me, do you prefer when she uses her mouth or her…"

"NOT LISTENING TO THIS!" Gohan screamed as he covered his ears.

"Enough" Piccolo interrupted "Let's just get to why we're here and Gohan can go back to his… mate."

"Fine, follow us Brat" Vegeta said as he took off, the two other fighters soon following.

"Where are we going?" Gohan asked.

"Earlier this year, I came across this confusing area. It seemed normal enough at first, just one of the many canyons that litter this part of the Earth but there was something more. I could feel this faint energy pulsing. At first it was almost non-existent but over time it was gradually getting stronger."

The trio flew even faster with their destination almost in sight. Piccolo continued recounting the events.

"I was originally going to bring you here when it started to feel stronger but your Mother turned me away. Said something about you needing to study and getting ready for your Future Wife."

"Wait when was this?" Gohan asked.

"About 8 months ago" Piccolo replied.

"Wait you knew about the Arrangement between Videl and I?"

Piccolo nodded.

"Yes. I was there when they first brokered it."

"And you didn't tell me?" Gohan asked.

"Why would I? Not exactly my place to and besides, I don't particularly want to get on your Mother's bad side… again."

Vegeta grumbled in agreement at the last statement.

"Stupid harpy."

"I guess. Anyways, go on with your story" said Gohan.

"Right, well since you were unavailable at the time. I called on Vegeta. We weren't sure yet if this was a threat so we kept it under wraps for a while. We both tried to figure out what the energy was. It almost felt like spiritual energy of some kind. Naturally we both tried to commune with the spirits but to no avail."

The three of them touched down as they reached the canyon. It was scarce, with very little vegetation or water. There were no animals around and the whole area seemed almost dead.

"Wait so why Vegeta? I get you trying to commune with this spirit energy or whatever, Piccolo but why…" Gohan asked before he stopped as he felt the energy softly pulsating from the area.

"Because this energy feels Saiyan" Vegeta stated.

Piccolo walked forward towards a Cliffside that was overhanging the canyon. Two trees protruded out the side of the cliff, barely giving off any shade but between them was a cave. Gohan peered into the cave but there was very little light inside.

"This is where the energy feels the most consistent" the Namekian said "We're not sure what it is but we figure you can get a better feel for it than either of us."

"Wait, why me?" Gohan asked "Why not just keep Vegeta if this energy is of Saiyan origin?"

"Because every time I get close. It rejects me" the Prince said.

Gohan looked at the man in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm not all that sure to be honest. I can feel the energy like it's familiar to me but it pushes me away. Besides, all that meditating crap is more yours and the Green bean's thing. I've spent too many days here instead of training."

Vegeta grunted and began to walk away.

"Update me if there's any progress" he said before flying off.

Gohan turned to his first mentor.

"So… you want me to stay here and try and figure this out? I'm not sure I'll have much time for this to be honest" he said.

"No it's fine. I don't expect you waste the next few days, weeks or months here. Your Mother would probably tear down the Lookout tower if we got you to do that. Just come here when you have time and meditate. Maybe you can sense something we can't"

Gohan nodded as he took in the weaving energy once more. It felt different and unknown yet familiar at the same time. That was extremely strange.

"Right well, I should head back then. I'll come back here when I have time" Gohan said as he walked out of the cave.

"Good. Oh and Gohan?"

"Yes Mr. Piccolo?"

"Congratulations on your engagement."

Gohan sighed as the Namekian moved away.

"Oh you got jokes now, huh?" Gohan said, laughing by himself before calling out to his mentor.

"Before you go. I need to clear something up."

"What is it?" Piccolo asked, turning back towards his former student.

"All those years ago when you told me not to oust Hercule Satan. I understand some of the reasons why now that I'm older but there's something more to it, isn't there?"

"Yes. I won't lie to you, we probably could have handle this better but at the time, it seemed like the best option."

"And what option was that?" Gohan asked.

"Dende and I asked Hercule Satan to take credit for Cell's Defeat" Piccolo replied.

A part of Gohan already knew it would have been something like this. Whilst it may have been in Hercule Satan's character to do something like that especially considering his past treatment of the ancient Ki arts and his the scrutiny and insults he had previously given the Z Fighters, his past few meetings with the World Champion were quite civil and respectful. Perhaps there was a lot more to Hercule than a pompous, arrogant and loud man.

"I… I see. I trust your judgement Piccolo but… I do want to know why you asked him to" Gohan asked.

"A few reasons. Mainly, you were just ten years old and had just lost your Father. The Cell Games was the first time a threat had gone public since the days of the old Red Ribbon Army and my predecessor King Piccolo. The world needed to know that Cell had been defeated and needed a face to attribute the victory to. We all knew that you didn't need to shoulder that burden. You wouldn't have been able to live with peace, not to mention your Mother would go crazy at any given time being pregnant with Goten at the time."

"I guess" Gohan replied "But I'm still not sure I'm comfortable with lying to the world like this."

"Think about it Gohan. How would the world accept the power that you have? That someone of your age could blow up the world if he really wanted to. Heck, how about what they would do to Goten or Trunks? The world isn't ready to accept our powers."

"Yeah, maybe if somebody wasn't out there telling the world that Ki usage is just tricks then maybe they'd be more accepting" Gohan retorted.

"You seem to be overestimating the world, Gohan" Piccolo responded "There are very few out there that are accepting of what we do."

"Videl seems to be handling it okay. I mean, she wanted me to teach her" Gohan said.

"Your girlfriend? One person isn't exactly going to change the world."

"She's not my…" Gohan started before stopping himself "Look, I get it. It's for the best. I guess I just have to trust in your judgement for now."

The large green hand of the Namekian rested itself onto Gohan's shoulder.

"Just dig deep and deal with it the best you can. Besides, Hercule actually believed you deserved the world. He didn't want to do it at first but well, he did it for you I suppose."

Gohan nodded at his mentor as he felt a weird instance of respect for Videl's Dad.

"Hey, were you in on the whole engagement thing with Videl?" he asked.

"Oh no" Piccolo snorted "That was all your Mother."

'Typical Mum' Gohan chuckled.

"If that's all, then I'll be heading back to the Lookout" Piccolo said.

"Right, I'll see you next time, Piccolo."

Gohan watched as Piccolo flew off, leaving Gohan alone at the entrance of the cave. Turning slightly, he peered into the darkness and took a deep breath. Gathering a feel for the energy, he exhaled before taking off towards Mt. Frypan. A thousand thoughts began to circulate in the young Saiyan's mind.

 _'Oh god, I don't know what I can tell Videl. Do I tell her everything? About my heritage. The journeys I've gone on. The battles I've fought. I'm not exactly comfortable with telling her my life story, at least not yet. I've only known her for like a month and we haven't even really been close. I still can't believe her Dad never told her. I mean, I sorta get why but Videl's the kind of person that doesn't like to be kept in the dark. She's smart too, I mean she figured out that I'm the Gold Fighter and the Delivery Boy. And she's accepting of Ki usage too. She even wants me to teach her. Gah what do I do?'_

Gohan slowed his flight down. He didn't want to arrive there just yet.

 _'But I should be honest with her, right? Especially because her Dad had lied to her too. I get why he had to take the credit for Cell but he could have at least told Videl. She's his only daughter. I shouldn't lie to her. Or I could at least tell her things at a pace that's comfortable with me. Yeah, that's a good idea. I mean being honest is what makes relationships work right?'_

That last thought caused Gohan to mentally slap himself.

 _'Gah what are you doing Gohan? You're not even in a relationship with her. I mean she's not even my girlfriend but she's my fiancée? Man I shouldn't even be thinking about her like that. I mean it was just all arranged by our parents. There's no way she wants to go through with it. She told me so earlier. But then she almost… her face was this far from mine and… her lips… ahh why are girls so confusing.'_

Figuring he needed a bit more time to collect his thoughts before talking to Videl, Gohan began aimlessly flying around the world.

* * *

The sun had all but set as Videl sat in her new favourite spot in the castle. Her hair was slightly dishevelled and her muscles were aching slightly from her earlier play session with Goten. The little guy had been so excited to play with his 'new big sister' that he wanted to do the same kinds of things he did with Gohan. Clearly Videl did not know what she had gotten herself into. If not for Chi Chi calling the two to dinner, they probably would have 'played' for hours. The food they had for dinner was just as good as the ones they had for lunch and with only one human eating machine present, Videl was able to have a much more enjoyable meal.

She had learnt during her dinner conversation with Chi Chi that the Ox Princess cooked everything herself. Videl wondered why royalty would even want to cook considering they could probably hire all the chefs they needed like Videl's household but the older woman insisted as she enjoyed cooking for her family. She had told her future daughter in law that she spent years cooking for the World's Hungriest Man and naturally, their children had similar stomachs. It gave the woman great pride that people enjoyed her food as much as they did, especially her children. She even jested that Videl might learn a thing or two about cooking while she stayed at the castle for her future husband causing the Satan girl to blush brightly.

Speaking of her so called fiancé, where in Kami's name was he? It had been hours since he had left the castle. Surely whatever he was doing wasn't going to take this long. Bulma said this Vegeta guy only wanted to talk to him. She was starting to get bored as Chi Chi had taken Goten back to their house at Mt. Paozu, yelling something about him having studies to catch up on whilst both the Ox King and Lime were nowhere to be found, most likely doing something of royal importance. Videl didn't want to intrude if that were the case.

A large grumbling noise emanated through the garden, startling the poor girl. She quickly turned her head to face whatever threat it was, arms up in a defensive stance. To her confusion and annoyance, it was merely Gohan stepping out of the shadows of several trees, having come back from his trip to this 'Lookout'.

"What in Kami's name was that, Gohan?!" Videl shouted "That nearly scared me half to death."

Gohan sheepishly laughed, scratching the back of his neck as he shot Videl a nervous smile.

"That was heh my stomach. I haven't eaten since lunch."

Videl almost fell over in amazement. He had eaten a banquet for at least a small party of people earlier and he was still this hungry?

"Fine, your Mother said there's leftovers in the kitchen but I expect you to tell me what you were up to that took this long! I have a lot of questions for you and you better answer them."

Gohan almost cowered in fear at the narrowing eyes of Videl Satan. He had better play his cards right.

"Alright, let me just eat first then."

For the next twenty minutes, Videl sat opposite Gohan in one of the castle's kitchens, studying the male's behaviour which currently consisted of a lot of slurping, chewing, burping and shovelling of food in his mouth.

 _'Where does he put it all? I mean he must have an amazingly fast metabolism to burn all that food off. Especially with his body.'_

The last thought brought a slight tinge of red to Videl's cheeks which thankfully, Gohan had been oblivious to.

"Ah that was good!" Gohan exclaimed as he finished his last plate, patting his stomach proudly.

"Now will you answer some of my questions?" Videl impatiently asked.

Gohan nervously scratched the back of his head as a bead of sweat dripped from his temple. How was he going to handle this?

"Err fine. Just not here, let's go back to that garden where I found you earlier."

"Fine by me" Videl dryly stated.

The two dark haired teens made their back through the halls of the castle, back to the garden that Videl had quickly grown fond of. They both sat down on one of the benches that overlooked the city below them. There was an awkward space between the two who were clearly a little uncomfortable at being close to one another. A few minutes had passed before the taller of the two finally spoke up.

"So uh, what did you want to ask me?" Gohan asked.

"Right um…" Videl began, unsure of what to ask first "Okay first, what took you so long? Why did this Vegeta guy want to talk and who is he?"

"He and Piccolo, the other guy Bulma mentioned wanted me to check out something with them. Some sort of energy was being emitted from this cave in a pretty remote location and it felt familiar to us."

"What do you mean felt familiar?" Videl asked.

"Right, you don't know how that stuff works…" Gohan began before seeing Videl's expression change, he quickly added "yet. I told you about Ki earlier yeah? Basically Ki is energy or more specifically spiritual energy. It's different to like the energy you get from electrical generators for example. Ki has a specific feel to it. It's hard to explain but when you've been trained with Ki, you can also learn to feel it, like a sixth sense."

"So you can sense where someone or something is if they have Ki? Is that how you were able to find me when we had that run in with Pardus?"

The boy nodded.

"Wait, so even though I don't know how to use Ki, I have it?" Videl asked.

"Yes that's right. Every living thing has Ki whether it be people, animals or plants. Some have higher Ki than others."

The curious martial artist in Videl got the better of her, wondering if he was referring to her.

"How high is my Ki? Even though I haven't learnt how to use it" she asked.

Gohan pondered for a moment, taking in the girl's Ki signature and comparing it with the other times he had felt it when they were working together in Satan City.

"Well if you compare it like this. The average human has about a Power Level of 10. Power Levels are a sort of way to determine how strong someone's Ki and physical abilities are but it's not always accurate as some of us have learnt to control our Ki output whether it be raising it or supressing it."

Videl nodded that she understood, motioning Gohan to continue.

"Right well Martial Artists and other warriors tend to have higher Ki because they train their body and continuously fight. Since you're untrained , you don't know how to control your Ki output so I'd probably put yours around 80 or 90, maybe pushing 100 when you're at your peak."

"I… wow, really?" Videl asked.

She didn't think she was that strong, especially considering she had asked him to train her for that very reason. She had been called the second strongest person after her Father by the World though she clearly wasn't with what she had seen Gohan do. Still, she was a curious person by nature and wondered what her Father's level would be at.

"Wh-what about my Dad? What would his Power Level be?"

Gohan thought on this for a moment. She had already found out that he had lied to her for seven years. How would Videl take it that she was actually stronger than her Father?

"I'm not sure to be honest. I mean I've sensed his Ki whilst I've been around him but I wouldn't be able to guess without having a proper feel for it, especially since I haven't seen him fight since the Cell games."

"Just give me an estimate" Videl said, almost in a demanding tone.

"Err fine. Well today it was at about a 50? I mean that's still pretty strong for a Human with no Ki Training, though he is a martial artist."

"A.. a 50?" Videl stammered.

That couldn't be right. She wasn't just stronger than her Father but she was almost double his power? That couldn't be right. Though a part of her did accept it a little. She hardly ever saw her Father train, at least diligently and when he was teaching at his dojo, he mostly watched and performed only a few moves, mostly for showmanship.

"I… wow okay, what's your power level then?" Videl asked.

Gohan paused. Did he really have to reveal this? In all honesty, he hadn't measured it in a long time. There wasn't really any way to accurately do it anymore. Their power levels hadn't really mattered to them since their days against Frieza.

"Err I actually don't know anymore but at my peak it would've been… pushing one billion…"

"ONE BILLION?!" Videl exclaimed "How in Kami's name…"

Gohan nervously scratched the back of his head as Videl's eyes surveyed him. Even in the dim lighting of the garden, he could make out those blue eyes boring into him.

"Yeah heh" he nervously laughed "But it's probably much lower now. I haven't really been keeping up with my training these last 7 years."

"So your peak was 7 years ago? That means your power level against Cell was one billion?!" Videl yelled.

 _'Dang she's good'_ Gohan thought.

Videl had a pretty good habit of piecing things together when given the information. He kind of admired that about her. She was smart and intuitive, not to mention she was pretty accepting of Ki and his powers. She was pretty accepting of him, at least as a friend.

"Yeah it was. I managed to achieve that strength to beat him" Gohan commented.

"Wow and my Dad… tried to fight Cell when the difference in their power was that vast. I'm not happy with what he did after the Cell Games but… I'm glad he lived through it" Videl said with a weak smile that soon turned to a grimace.

The thought of her Father and what he did made her stop in her tracks. Why did he do it? Did Gohan know about it? She looked at the boy sitting beside her. He was slightly slouched with his eyes looking out in to the distance with his elbows resting on his knees. The soft glow of the lamp shone against his skin. The shadows the light was creating was almost making him look even more handsome than he already was. Videl cursed at herself for acting like some hormonal teenage girl before facing away from him.

"So um…" she began "Why are you so strong? It isn't just all training with Ki right?"

Gohan gulped audibly. He figured she would ask something like this. Was he really ready to reveal these things about him to her? That he was a half-alien descended from a warrior race that had been space pirates for the past few centuries. That he had enough power to destroy planets and could honestly get much stronger than he was if he truly attempted it.

"I…" he began but no other words came out.

His mouth was starting to get dry, his palms were sweating a little, even in the cool autumn air. He silently thanked Dende for this bench as his knees were getting a little weak. His strong arms even started to feel like lead. They felt so heavy. Why was he always so nervous around Videl? It was almost like she had this effect on him. He prayed to Dende that he wouldn't feel sick from his jittery state. Vomiting in front of Videl was something he didn't want to do.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

Her voice was almost harmonic to his ears. The concerned tone in her voice felt genuine, causing his heart to flutter. He turned his head to face Videl, her large blue eyes gazing into his own. Sweet Kami, she was so beautiful. Why did he feel this way around her? Was he really falling for Videl Satan? He blinked a few times, breaking eye contact.

"Ye-yeah" he mumbled "Yeah I'm just trying to figure out how to go about this."

Videl fiddled with the red bracelet around her wrist. It had been a habit of hers whenever she was nervous or was contemplating something. How was she going to get him to talk to her? Damn her curious nature. She didn't want to overstep her boundaries by hounding him for answers. There must be another way she could approach this. She remembered a conversation she had with Erasa a year ago.

 _'Now Videl, you should know that most men turn to mush whenever you put on a little feminine charm. Maybe flirt a little with them. Honestly, you're Videl Satan. You could probably get any boy to do something for you just by asking them to.'_

Videl mentally groaned at the memory. Erasa could be such a flirt when she wanted to though she never did it maliciously. She felt a little dirty that she was even considering doing something like this to get answers from Gohan. He wasn't just any boy. He was the Ox Prince, the Delivery Boy and the Gold Fighter all in one. He was her fiancé and… wait!

 _'Maybe that's it'_ she thought.

"Gohan, I really want you to be honest with me. I mean, we're getting married aren't we? Surely you can tell me these things" she said, trying to sound as flirtatious and genuine as she could though she could feel herself mentally vomiting at her words.

A gulp of saliva had made its way down the wrong pipe as Gohan started coughing, choking on his own spit. This had definitely caught him off guard. Since when did Videl talk like that? And why was she bringing up their engagement all of a sudden. Did she want to go through with it? She did have a point though. It reinforced his thoughts earlier that he needed to be honest with her.

"I… okay. I'll tell you" he stated, steeling himself as he prepared to tell her his life's story.

He took a deep breath as the Satan girl sat beside him, eyes gazing upon him intently.

"Well as you know Goku Son is my Father and I'm guessing since you're big into Martial Arts, you know about his tournament participation as well as the things he did against the Red Ribbon Army and King Piccolo."

"Wait the Red Ribbon Army? That was him?"

Videl had recalled from History classes in the past that decades earlier, there was a private army terrorizing the world, bent on World Domination called the Red Ribbon Army until they were destroyed in a massive battle. Goku Son was the one that defeated them?

"Yeah, he did it almost singlehandedly at the age of 12" Gohan said with pride.

"Holy… he took out a whole army as a kid? That's… that's amazing" Videl exclaimed.

Gohan smiled. He had always felt proud whenever his family's achievements were being marvelled at. He wasn't one to brag about it but it felt nice when someone acknowledged it.

"Yeah… anyways, they'll come back into play later in the story. First I want to tell you about my how my Father became this righteous defender of peace and justice. You see, Dad wasn't always a good kid. In fact, when my Great Grandfather found him, he was wild and untamed and quite violent to be honest."

Videl gasped. The legendary Goku Son was both adopted and was an unruly child? From what she had heard of him, he was an amazing person.

"Yeah it wasn't until he fell down a cliff and hit his head that he changed to become the kind hearted guy he grew up to be. Also kind of made him dumb to be honest" Gohan added, laughing a little.

Another drop of sweat cascaded down Gohan's forehead as the words to his next sentence formed on the tip of his tongue. He was about to reveal one of his life's greatest secrets, something only privy to a few close friends and family.

"You see… my Dad was sent to Earth as a child to destroy all human life and take over the planet" he stated.

"Wait what?" Videl blinked "Your Dad was… sent to Earth? Like… from another planet?"

Gohan nodded.

"Yeah that's right. He was one of the last remaining members of a warrior race known as the Saiyans hailing from the Planet Vegeta."

"Saiyans? Wait Vegeta, he's a Saiyan too right? And he's named after a Planet? Or is he the planet? What in the…" Videl began.

Gohan chuckled lightly.

"Yeah Vegeta's a Saiyan too. The last pure blooded one left that we know of actually. And from what he told me in the past, his Father was also named Vegeta as well as his Father's Father and so forth."

"That's too many dang Vegetas" Videl commented causing Gohan to smirk in amusement.

"Yeah I think one's enough for us."

"But wait!" Videl interrupted "Last pure blood so that makes you and Goten half? And that boy Trunks from earlier is half too right?"

"That's correct" Gohan said with a smile. He was kind of proud that Videl had figured that part out, even with Trunks.

"So the Gold Fighter transformation has to do with being Saiyan? Damn, I was kind of hoping you'd teach me that too."

Gohan nervously laughed at the pouting girl. It was kind of adorable how slightly upset she was over not being able to learn that.

"Yeah sorry. It's actually called the Super Saiyan transformation and it's supposed to be the legendary peak of the Saiyan Race so naturally, we've surpassed it" Gohan said, kind of confidently showing off his power.

"Wow… so that's how you beat Cell? You went beyond Super Saiyan?" Videl asked in amazement.

"Heh yeah that's right. I was the first one to do it as well."

"Holy… and you were only 10."

Videl gaped at the young man sitting beside her. He was unbelievably strong and had been extremely humble about it.

"So um… that's not all there is to you, is there?" Videl shyly asked.

"No, do you want to know the rest of my story? It might take a while."

Videl pulled out her phone from her pocket and checked the time. 8:43pm. Still plenty of time. Not like she was doing anything else tonight.

"We have time" she said with a smile "do go on."

"Alright well I suppose you already know about my Dad and his fight against King Piccolo. Not long after that, he got married to my Mum and soon after they had me. My story begins not long after I had turned 4."

Gohan began with what had happened that day his Father took him to Kame Island. He explained how his Father was childhood friends with both Bulma and Krillin as well as being Master Roshi's student to which Videl already knew. She listened intently as Gohan described his Uncle Raditz and how the revelation of their Saiyan heritage had changed everything. She was amazed to learn that Goku had actually died prior to the Cell games and was wished back by these magical artefacts known as the Dragon Balls.

"I know you guys can fly, shoot beams and are an alien but… bringing people back from the dead? I… wait, that was what happened after the Cell Games right?" Videl asked.

Her Father had spun a story that those that 'died' had actually been knocked out by a gas with hallucinogenic properties that Cell had used that caused them to disappear for a period of time, making it look like entire towns and cities were devoid of life when in fact… people actually did die and they came back. She remembered Janice, one of the maids at their mansion had family that experienced that… they experienced death.

"That's just… really hard to wrap my head around" Videl breathed.

"It's pretty crazy yeah. The Dragon Balls don't just bring people back to life. In fact you can wish for anything as long as it's within the Dragon's power. We just use it nowadays for emergencies like that."

She smiled at Gohan's response. At least they were being used for good things and not selfish wishes like world domination or a lifetime's supply of ice cream though the latter wish didn't seem too bad to Videl. Gohan continued his story, explaining that two more Saiyans had overheard a conversation about the Dragon Balls on Raditz's scouter and proceeded to invade Earth which caused Piccolo to take Gohan and train him for a year whilst Goku was still dead.

"There were two of them. One was called Nappa. The other was Vegeta."

"Wait Vegeta invaded Earth? You fought him?" Videl asked in astonishment.

"Yeah, Saiyans were actually kinda terrifying to the rest of the universe. In fact, they were starting to grow in power that their employer blew up Planet Vegeta, killing everyone except 4 Saiyans."

"That's crazy…"

"It is… sometimes I wonder how it'd be like if the Saiyan race survived but I guess I can't dwell on that. I mean I'm half Human too so you know… I'm actually surprised you're taking this whole alien business pretty well" Gohan said.

"Well you and your six and a half year old brother can change your hair and eye colour at will, you shoot energy beams, fly and have a power level of a billion. I think I'm passed being shocked but I'm sure you'll surprise me" Videl replied.

Gohan chuckled lightly.

"Well does me going to outer space with Krillin and Bulma surprise you? Because that's the next part of the story."

Videl's jaw dropped a little but she did half expect something like that. Gohan had lived such a fantastical life. It was quite amazing in all honesty. She continued to listen to him as he told her what happened after their battle with the Saiyans. Their group had travelled to Namek to use their Dragon Balls to wish back their friends that had died in the past year. Gohan explained that the previous Kami as well as Piccolo were of Namekian origin and as such, the Dragon Balls were created by the green skinned race. There they had encountered two others looking for the Namekian Dragon Balls: Vegeta and Frieza. Gohan explained that it was Frieza that had essentially enslaved the Saiyan race before destroying them, afraid of their potential. Both Vegeta and Frieza were hoping to use the Dragon Balls to gain immortality with Vegeta hoping to finally overthrow and defeat Frieza while the Space Tyrant wanted to solidify his iron grip on the universe. Eventually, their group was able to overcome Frieza and his army but not without losses. Vegeta who had joined forces with them was killed by Frieza, as was Krillin which caused Goku to ascend to Super Saiyan, the very first in thousands of years.

"Your Dad sounds amazing" Videl said in awe of the man.

"He was. He just had this way of finding new strengths and breaking through his limits."

"Makes me wish I had met him."

Videl looked at Gohan with a sad smile as the young man continued to reminisce on his memories with this Father.

"Yeah. It's crazy. Anyway, the ironic thing about Frieza was he destroyed the Saiyan race because of the legend of the Super Saiyan. His actions ultimately lead to Dad becoming one and defeating him."

"So what happened after?" Videl asked.

"Well my Dad's fight with Frieza started to destroy the planet so he ordered me to take all the survivors back to Earth with Bulma. Because we had used the Namekian Dragon Balls while we were on Namek, we had to wait a year to bring Yamcha, Tien, Chiaotzu and Krillin back. I'm glad we had Dende with us to translate our wishes though I'm sure any of the Nameks that came with us would've been happy to do it."

"Wait Dende? That's the name of the current Kami right?" Videl asked.

"Uh yeah" Gohan answered "Where did you learn that?"

Videl smirked a little.

"I was talking to Goten and he told me a few things. That kid is energy personified."

Gohan laughed heartily.

"Yeah he's a handful at times but he's great. Anyways, where were we?"

"Uh you just wished back Krillin and the others" Videl responded.

"Right. So we tried to wish my Dad back too but it turns out he survived Namek blowing up and was off training in space. When it came time for him to come back ,we had an unexpected visitor."

"Unexpected? How so?" Videl wondered.

"Well, you remember Trunks? Bulma and Vegeta's son."

Videl nodded.

"Well" Gohan began "He was the visitor… exactly 2 years before his birth."

"Wait what?!" Videl shouted "How in the…"

"You know how Bulma's a genius right?" Videl nodded as Gohan to continue "Would you believe me if I said time travel is real?"

"Honestly Gohan, your life has had aliens, intergalactic tyrants, magic balls that can wish people back to life and battles that can destroy planets. I think I'd believe almost anything right about now" Videl dryly retorted causing Gohan to laugh a little.

"Alright well, Trunks came to us from a future in which 2 Androids had killed everyone except him and Bulma and was destroying the world. He came to the past to warn us as well as give my Dad an antidote for a heart virus that killed him in the future timeline"

Gohan then began to explain how Trunks had travelled in time with a machine of Bulma's making and the events that happened in the future timeline that Trunks had told him about. Videl was horrified to learn about the atrocities those two androids committed and how destroyed and desolate the future had become.

"I'm glad that didn't happen here" she commented "Androids are robots right? Which means someone had to have made them."

Gohan nodded. Her intuitive nature surprised him more and more.

"You're right" he said "They were created by Doctor Gero who was a member of the Red Ribbon Army."

"Them again?! Geez you'd think they would give up after being stopped by a kid. Please tell me they don't do anything else" Videl said.

Gohan grimaced a little.

"Err actually Doctor Gero has more to do with the story but that comes soon after."

"That's insane… Man, as much as I would have loved to help you guys out there, a part of me is glad I've never run into any of these Androids."

"Actually…" Gohan started "You've met one already. At least the counterpart in our timeline."

"Wait really? Who? When?" Videl wondered.

"Eh did you ever wonder why Eighteen is named Eighteen?"

"Of.. course… I should have seen that one coming. So the Eighteen in our timeline ended up being good?"

"Yeah but not at first" Gohan replied "She joined our side once Cell appeared."

"And I suppose Cell has to do with all of this too?"

"That's right. You see, Cell was Doctor Gero's ultimate creation" Gohan stated.

"CELL WAS CREATED? THAT MONSTER WAS ACTUALLY MADE BY SOMEONE?!" Videl shrieked, jumping out of her seat and looking at Gohan with eyes the size of the moon.

"Yeah it's disgusting I know. The worst part is all of these creations. The Androids, Cell and that. They were created by Gero just to take revenge on my Dad."

Videl sat back down on the bench, a large breath escaping her lips as she sighed. The evils of revenge had no limits. She was disgusted someone had created a being of pure destruction that had wiped out cities just to take revenge on someone.

"Yeah, the Cell that you know about actually came from another future timeline where he stole Trunks' Time Machine. Luckily we were able to destroy the Cell of this time before it was fully formed" Gohan explained.

"Wow…"

Gohan continued recounting the events surrounding Cell's appearance and their battles both fighting against and with the Androids. He explained the Cell required absorbing both Seventeen and Eighteen to reach his complete form, leaving out the details of his huge vacuum like tail as to not disgust Videl.

"So while Cell was on his quest to absorb the two, my Dad, Vegeta, Future Trunks and I took turns training in this room called the Hyperbolic Time Chamber." Gohan said.

"Oh so that's what it's called!" Videl exclaimed.

"I… I'm guessing Goten told you about it?" Gohan guessed to which Videl confirmed with a nod.

"Yeah but he couldn't get the name right" she said with a laugh.

"Anyways, while Dad and I trained in the Chamber, Cell had managed to attain his Perfect Form by first absorbing Seventeen and then Eighteen because Vegeta let him."

"Wait what? Why would he do that?" Videl asked in shock.

"What you need to know about Saiyans is that they live for battle, especially full blooded ones. They always want something to test their limits, to see how far they've grown in strength and Vegeta epitomizes that in his own sometimes ridiculous way."

"Are you like that?" Videl asked, a slight hint of worry in her voice

"No actually" Gohan affirmed "I.. I've always had power but I've never really liked to fight, at least not when I can avoid it. Maybe it's because I'm only half that I'm like that."

Videl smiled at him. Gohan Son had such immense power and had been fighting his whole life but was as gentle as they come. A rare kind soul that had grown up in a world filled with violence. The world did not deserve Gohan Son.

"Anyways, where was I? Oh right, Cell had just attained his perfect form and my Dad and I were still training in the Time Chamber. That's where I first achieved the state of Super Saiyan. It was intense to be honest, my Dad didn't ease up when it came to training. It may have been for the survival of the world but… training with my Dad for that full year was one of the happiest times in my life."

A sad smile appeared on Gohan's face as Videl gazed upon the boy beside her.

"He… he was almost always off on some adventure or training for his next big fight. He may have been a happy go lucky kind of guy but he lived for fighting. There was too much Saiyan in him even though he grew up on Earth. My Mum as you could probably figure out never wanted me to be a fighter. She always wanted me to be a scholar of some sort so she drilled as much education as she could into my head. Between the constant training, battling and studying I had to do, I never really had much of a childhood but… when I was with Dad in the Time Chamber, just the two of us. I really felt like his son. Even though we were training to beat a monster, I achieved things that he was incredibly proud of. It kind of made things worth it."

Videl smiled softly at the boy. For some reason, she wanted to comfort him. Without thinking, she placed her hands on top of his and held it gently. Gohan turned his head towards hers and was met with the azure eyes of Videl Satan. He looked deeply into them, as if they were the unending ocean view from Kame Island. He smiled back at her.

"Well, I guess you know about what happens next with Cell" he continued "After he achieved his Perfect Form, he announced the Cell Games. It was the first time since King Piccolo that a threat had made itself public. Vegeta, Trunks and Piccolo continued to train but my Dad said we had done enough so we actually took it easy for the week leading up to the Cell Games."

"Did you know why your Dad was like that?" Videl asked.

"I do now but back then no. He said we were strong enough as it is."

Videl nodded as Gohan continued to explain what had happened at the Cell Games. She winced at his recount of Cell's battle with her Father, the android essentially bitch slapping Mr. Satan into a mountain before Cell began his fight with Goku. Gohan did not need to explain too much about this fight or the start of his as Videl was able to watch it on the broadcast. What he did have to tell was what had happened after the feed had cut off.

"Basically Cell had been trying to get me to unleash my hidden power so he spawned those smaller Cells to beat up my friends, torturing them and trying to break their bodies just so I'd explode."

"But I'm guessing you didn't?" Videl asked.

"Correct" Gohan confirmed "I mean it was getting to me but it wasn't until I saw this large hairy man with an afro throw the disembodied head of Android Sixteen that it finally happened."

"Wait what? Sixteen? Who's he? And… wait the guy that threw his head… that was my Dad?"

"Yeah, he actually helped us out with that. I'll be honest, I didn't think much of him when I first saw him but he kinda did pull through there" Gohan replied with a smile.

Videl's lips curled up slightly as she felt a slight sense of pride in her Father, something she hadn't felt in a while especially with the revelation of his defeat of Cell being a lie. At least he was useful for something.

"Guess he did have a hand in Cell's defeat somehow. Anyway, who's this Sixteen?" Videl asked.

"Right, so he was one of the five Androids. I should have probably explained that more. There was Seventeen and Eighteen who were the ones that Trunks warned us about. Technically they're Cyborgs because they were born human and were upgraded to have machine parts as well as a bunch of other things. I think Android 20 was the same as them who also happened to be an upgraded Doctor Gero. Sixteen and another android Nineteen were both purely mechanical but had human like qualities attributed to them."

"So that explains how Sixteen's head could have made a difference somehow? Because he was purely mechanical?"

"That's correct, Videl. Sixteen had been programmed with one mission which you can probably guess involved destroying my Dad. The only thing was he overcame that programming and was actually the most gentle of the androids. He loved nature, specifically birds and adored all things that lived" Gohan explained, reminiscing on the friendliness that Sixteen had with animals.

"Anyways, the reason why he had no body was because he tried to use his self-destruct function on Cell but didn't know he had those bombs removed when he was fixed up by Doctor Briefs when he joined our side. So then Cell destroyed his body but his head had survived and had managed to make its way to your Dad who threw it at me after I think Sixteen asked him to."

Videl laughed internally at the image of her Dad handling a head and throwing it towards Gohan. Her Dad had always been a little bit squeamish.

"So what happened next?"

"Well, Sixteen gave me this speech about letting my restraints go and protecting the life that we both love. And then… Cell stepped on his head and destroyed him forever."

"He couldn't be brought back? Is that because he's purely machine?" Videl asked.

Gohan sadly nodded. He had wished Sixteen would be able to live again. Even if he was just a machine in some people's eyes, he would have found peace somewhere in the world, living amongst the animals.

"Yeah it sucks but when Cell killed him I just snapped and unleashed all of the power I had hidden within me. It was when I first ascended to the level beyond Super Saiyan."

"So this was your peak then? This ascended level?" Videl asked, eyes gazing upon the Saiyan in wonder.

"It was. I'm still probably around the same ball park now but not as strong as I used to be. I think Vegeta's probably at the same strength now. I'm pretty sure he's ascended too."

"Wow… so after you ascended was when you beat Cell?" the Satan girl asked.

Gohan hesitated for a moment. He was about to talk about what would lead to the lowest moment in his life. He grit his teeth and exhaled sharply, the memory of both his greatest triumph and failure still etched in his mind as if it were recent. In all honest, he was over it. Time does indeed heal all wounds but it didn't make it hurt any less.

"No I… I got arrogant and drunk on my own power. I guess my Saiyan instincts took over once I had ascended. I wanted to make Cell suffer. I wanted to make him pay for what he had done, for all the lives he had taken, for all the families he had destroyed. I wanted to torture him until he begged for mercy."

Videl was speechless. In the month that she had known Gohan, she knew him to be one of the kindest souls she had ever met. He was always respectful and courteous, never got angry and was overly shy. Who knew he had held this much darkness in him?

"Dad wanted me to end it but I didn't. I kept beating Cell up. And you know what he called me, Videl?" Gohan murmured, his voice starting to get lower and lower "He called me a monster."

"You're not a monster" Videl instantly replied.

Gohan felt the sudden touch of Videl's delicate fingers against his head, cupping his cheeks. She looked at him, straight into his eyes and stated with conviction.

"You are not a monster, Gohan. You wanted Cell to get what he deserved. I don't think many people would blame you for wanting him to suffer a little more. You're a hero no matter what, Gohan."

Gohan smiled a little at Videl's words. There was just something about her voice that could change Gohan's mood just like that.

"Thanks Videl" he said as the girl detached her hands from his face.

"You're welcome, now, what happened next?"

"Well… I punched Cell so hard he spat out Eighteen" Gohan bluntly said.

"Like… out of his mouth spat out?" Videl asked in shock.

"Yup."

"That's nasty."

"Yeah, I think Krillin was the most freaked out. Dude had a crush on her even when she was our enemy" Gohan said, internally laughing at the memory of him accidentally blurting out that Krillin had feelings for the beautiful blonde woman.

Gohan suddenly stopped in his tracks when he remembered Krillin would try and get him back and now… he had the perfect way to tease him now that Videl was around. Oh boy.

"Right well anyways" Gohan said, trying to push the conversation along to get his mind off all the future teasing he would receive "When Cell spat out Eighteen he was really on the ropes and pretty much lost because he wasn't as strong as he was in his Perfect form"

"So this is where you beat him?"

"No… he actually… transformed himself into an inflated bomb. If he couldn't win then he was going to blow up everything. Me, my friends, the planet. Everything."

Videl noticed the change in Gohan's demeanour. What had happened to him?

"I… I failed then. I took too long, I played around too much and now he was going to blow himself and the planet up. We couldn't stop it because if we tried to move or destroy him, he would blow up."

A single tear streamed down Gohan's face as he relived the memory of it in his mind. Videl looked at him with worry.

"But, we're all still here right? You must have saved us somehow."

"Actually, it was my Dad" Gohan stated "He knows this technique called Instant Transmission. Basically lets him teleport anywhere he wants to as long as he can lock onto the Ki signature someone or if he's familiar with the place."

Gohan's lip began to quiver a little. He hadn't talked about this in years and it was starting to get to him a little. But he had to get it out. He had already told Videl so much of his life story and he couldn't leave her in the dark, especially when it had to do with something important to him like this. Their parents were planning to marry them off and she deserved that knowledge. Besides, he needed to get past this memory again. It wasn't just for Videl but for his sake too.

"He… he teleported in front of me just before Cell exploded, told me that he was proud of me and… teleported away with Cell."

"I… I'm sorry." Videl said softly, leaning her head against Gohan's shoulder.

She felt really bad. She had asked for his life story and made him relive probably his worst memory. So that's how Goku died. The legendary warrior she had heard so much about died as he had lived. A hero through and through. And Gohan had seen his Father die in front of him, probably thinking it was his fault.

'But wait…' Videl thought 'why didn't they wish him back?'

"Gohan? Your Dad was wished back before right? How come they didn't wish him back again?"

Gohan shook his head, causing Videl to be lightly nudged off his shoulder. She readjusted herself as he spoke.

"No, the Earth's Dragon Balls don't allow the same wish twice so we couldn't wish Dad back since we already did that. I'll get to the rest of that part later though."

"Alright, go on then."

"So… Dad sacrificed himself and at first we thought that was it, Cell had been defeated by his own self destruction but… he came back. I don't exactly know how he did but Cell could reform his body by leaving a part of himself intact or something like that."

"No fucking way?! How overpowered is this guy?" Videl exclaimed.

"Incredibly. He ended up killing Trunks as soon as he came back which sent Vegeta in a rage. Keep in mind that this was the old Vegeta who hardly cared about anyone but himself. I think this is what changed him for the better. He's a little more mellow now and though he won't admit it, he loves both Bulma and Trunks. He's just a bit of a hardass."

"That's one hell of a redemption arc" Videl commented "Would be perfect in a movie or TV show, don't you think?"

"I wouldn't know, I've never really watched TV" Gohan said shyly to Videl's astonishment.

"That's ridiculous."

"Yeah I know. So when Vegeta went berserk, I thought he might have been able to defeat Cell for a moment but Cell was too strong. Vegeta ended up blowing all of his energy in that short period of time and Cell almost killed him. He would have to if I… didn't jump in the way and took the shot for him."

"Selfless to a fault. Is that how you got this scar?" Videl asked as she traced her finger down the scar located on Gohan's shoulder.

"Yeah it was. It's one hell of a reminder."

"So after you took the blow for Vegeta, what happened?"

"Well, Cell and I got back into our fight and we ended up in what we call a beam duel. To simplify things, we used the same move called the Kamehameha. At first neither of our attacks could break the other's even though I had lost the use of my left arm but gradually Cell began to overpower me. It wasn't until my Dad contacted me from Other World that I could start to get anywhere. The other guys, Piccolo, Krillin, Tien and Yamcha had tried to distract them with attacks of their own but he would just flare his aura and brush them off like they were nothing. They tried again and again but it was no use. It wasn't until Vegeta sent a powerful blast that knocked Cell off balance that my attack finally engulfed him."

"So… that's how you beat Cell" Videl said, her head still resting against Gohan's shoulder.

"Yeah I guess, it was a team effort though. It wasn't just me. Vegeta, Piccolo, Krillin, Tien, Yamcha… My Dad… Sixteen… even your Dad helped."

Videl smiled. He was modest and selfless to a fault, even including her buffoonish Dad in the list of heroes.

"I guess, still doesn't make it right that he took the credit for defeating Cell by himself when it was all you guys."

"Actually…" Gohan began "I learnt something today about that."

Videl popped up from Gohan's shoulder and looked at him.

"Did Piccolo or Vegeta tell you something?" she asked.

Gohan nodded.

"Well Vegeta didn't. No offense to your Dad but Vegeta hates him but I guess that's to be expected. No, Piccolo did. He actually told me that the reason your Dad took credit for Cell's defeat was… because they asked him to."

Videl's mind went blank.

"Wait what?"

The people that her Dad had spent his career criticizing had asked him to do it and he listened? That definitely didn't make sense to her.

"I was shocked too but… what Piccolo told me made sense. I wasn't ready to shoulder the burden of a public hero. I was ten years old, having just lost my father and my Mother was pregnant at the time. It… it makes sense, now that I think about it."

Videl didn't know what to feel. Earlier that day she was angry at her Father for taking the credit of Gohan's greatest triumph but now she's being told that he did it because they asked him to.

"Does anyone else know?" she asked.

"I don't think so. Only Piccolo, my Mum, I guess Grandpa and Dende. Vegeta sure as hell doesn't know, maybe Bulma does. I mean she did seem pretty civil with him today and Bulma's known to have a bit of a temper at times."

"I see…" Videl said.

It made sense. She recalled the day she met Krillin after the encounter with Pardus at the mall. He seemed apprehensive to meet her so he most likely thought that her Dad had taken the credit of Cell's defeat for selfish reasons. It wasn't like she had complained about what had happened because of it in her life. At least, while she did have problems with her Dad and the fame that the Satan name was accustomed to, she had always lived a privileged life. A life built on lies that should have belonged to Gohan.

"I guess I should be thankful" Gohan said, causing Videl to look at him in confusion "Piccolo told me that your Dad… he didn't want to do it at first. He wanted me to actually get the credit but Piccolo convinced him to take it."

"I see" Videl said, resting her head against Gohan's shoulders once more.

It seemed like her Father had wanted to be a hero still and took on a burden based on lies. He had always been proud and arrogant but how much of that had been a façade for the past seven years? Was that the reason he was drinking and partying more and more after Cell's defeat? She thought it was just him enjoying the rewards of being the World Saviour but no, now it looked like he was… drowning his sorrows. As if the escape to alcohol was easing the burden of lying to the world on his shoulders. The burden of lying to Videl.

"I still wish he told me" she whispered, a little tear dripping down her cheek unto Gohan's skin.

Gohan shifted at the sudden wetness on his shoulder.

"I know" he said softly.

It seemed that was what hurt Videl the most. She was starting accept that her Father needed to lie to the World. The people still needed a hero after Cell went public and Gohan couldn't do it. Why couldn't any of the others do it? She supposed that none of them wanted the fame or fortune so that made her Dad the best candidate. Still, he could have told her. Several minutes passed as Videl and Gohan sat in silence, the head of the Satan girl still resting against the shoulder of the Ox Prince.

"Hey Gohan?" Videl asked, breaking the silence.

"Yeah?"

"Can you teach me how to fly tomorrow?"

Gohan smiled.

"Sure, we'll have to teach you how to control Ki first but we can start tomorrow."

Videl smiled too. It seemed like this marriage to Gohan was her Father's way of atoning for what he had done. She could at least make the most of it and learn how to use Ki. That way, she could be a hero like Gohan too. They sat once more in silence until Gohan felt the pressure against his shoulder feel a little heavier. He looked down at Videl to find that she had fallen asleep. It was probably really late now. It felt good to get his life story off his chest tonight. Videl had pretty much accept all of it and it felt like he made the right decision trusting her. He smiled softly as he rested his head against hers, the dim light of a nearby lamp illuminating the two quiet souls.

* * *

Author's Notes:

Well I actually didn't expect that chapter to be as long as it was but it felt good to get it out of the way. I didn't want to spend too much time explaining the events of Dragon Ball Z as we all pretty much know what happened but there were some parts that I felt had to be described as well as having Videl's comments on it. Otherwise it'd be skimming over things too much.

EleazarTheUnforgotten, thanks! Yeah that last chapter was pretty hard for me to write but thanks for thinking I did an adequate job! I hope this chapter is good as well.

Brainless1, that's actually more or less what I was aiming for. She's definitely conflicted and it'll probably be taken into account in how she approaches this in the future. Yeah I agree about that with her hair. That's a very valid point.

James1996, thanks dude! I think she looks better with long hair too.

thedarkpirateking, haha you got that right, mate! I powered through the game and finished it so quickly. Gotta wait for DLCs now!

Thanks to everyone else that left a review. I think long hair is definitely the option I'm going with and as one of the Guest reviewers said, it does allow for more options for styling.

As always, if you're enjoying the story, have any criticism or want to let me know your thoughts, do leave a review! Almost all reviews bring a smile to my face (except the mean ones. Don't be mean guys).


	15. Chapter 15 - Ki Control

**Chapter 15: Ki Control**

The sounds of birds chirping early in the morning roused Videl from her sleep. She slowly opened her eyes allowing her vision to focus as she took in the familiar surroundings of her bedroom. An even more familiar booming voice called out from beyond the door, knocking three times as he usually did.

"Videl! It's time for breakfast!" the voice of her Father bellowed.

She quickly pushed off the covers and sat up on her bed, rubbing the sand from her eyes as she slipped on a pair of comfy purple slippers. Videl hopped off her bed and out of her bedroom, making her way through the long hall way of her wing in their family mansion and down to the kitchen for breakfast. She could hear the voices of two people chatting away as forks clanged with plates. One was her Father. She could recognize his voice anywhere. The other one she had trouble placing. It felt familiar, like she had heard it many times before but couldn't figure out where. The voice was definitely feminine and was clearly getting along with her Dad as she heard the two share a laugh together.

"Ah there you are" the female voice said as the two figures came into Videl's view "Hurry up and sit down, Vidy."

Videl was stunned as the woman's face burned into her vision. Looking back at Videl was the same blue eyes as her own. Her eyes studied the woman's face. She was incredibly beautiful with pale skin that was perfectly framed by dark hair, the same as Videl's. Sitting across from Hercule Satan was her mother, Miguel Satan.

"M-mama? Wha… what are you doing here?" Videl stammered.

Miguel smiled at her daughter.

"Well clearly not eating since you seem to be taking forever!" her Mother joked.

"Hurry up and sit down, Sweet Pea." Hercule added.

Videl nodded and followed the orders of her parents, sitting adjacent from the two older Satan family members at a round table. Miguel quickly poured a cup of tea for Videl, adding four teaspoons of sugar knowing that her little girl liked sweet things.

"Thank you, Mama." Videl politely said.

"You're welcome, Vidy" Miguel replied "So, Honey. What meeting did you say you have to attend today?"

"Ah nothing big. Just meeting with all the monarchs of the Eastern Kingdoms. A few of the smaller kingdoms want to propose a bill related to trading or some crap and they want me to help mediate the session."

"Well I did say that your big mouth would get you somewhere in the world, didn't I?" Miguel jested "At least you're helping the world somehow!"

"Yeah thanks dear." Hercule responded, rolling his eyes at his Wife's playful nature.

Videl giggled at the banter between her parents. Her Dad may have been a bit of a buffoon and obnoxious at times but her Mother was the real jokester of the family. Miguel Satan radiated positivity and playfulness.

"Hey Honey?" Miguel began, getting Hercule's attention away from his food for a moment "Maybe you can meet a nice young Prince for Vidy to marry while you're there!"

Videl spat out her orange juice at her Mother's antics as Hercule began to choke on his bacon.

"Mama! Don't you think I'm too young for that?!" Videl said in a half embarrassed yell.

"Oh fine Videl my little Princess, I'm just joking with you!" Miguel laughed.

Videl awkwardly chuckled with her mother. There was something about Miguel's laughter that was contagious. The woman's smile could light up the darkest depths of hell if she really wanted. But then Videl's mind was stuck on a thought. Why was her Mother trying to get her Dad to find some prince for her when she was already engaged?

"Err Mama?" Videl asked.

"Yes Vidy?" her Mother responded.

"Um, why are you telling Dad to find a Prince when there's already Gohan?"

The harsh sound of a fork dropping onto a plate was heard in the now silent kitchen of the Satan Mansion as Miguel stared at her daughter, eyes as wide as the plates in front of her. Suddenly a wide grin appeared on her face as she fluttered about in delight.

"Oh Vidy! You have your first crush! Or is he your boyfriend already? Oh did you hear that Hercule? Our little girl is growing up already!" she shrieked.

"Yeah yeah that's nice" Hercule said absentmindedly, still stuffing himself as he read the morning paper.

"Uh Mama? Dad?" Videl began "The engagement?"

"What engagement?" Miguel asked "Wait, he asked you to marry him already and you said yes?! Oh my Kami!"

Videl was weirded out to say the least. Didn't hear parents know about her engagement to Gohan Son, the Ox Prince? At least her Dad should know, he was the one that organized it after all. But then a heartbreaking thought struck her. She looked around and studied her surroundings. They were definitely in the kitchen at the Satan Mansion but there was one problem. Her mother had never lived here, let alone been in one of these rooms. Videl and her Father had moved in after the Cell Games. In fact… Miguel Satan had died 2 years before the Cell Games.

It all made sense to Videl now. She should have noticed earlier when she woke up in her own room. She stayed at the Palace at Mt. Frypan last night. This wasn't real. She looked at her Mother with teary eyes causing visible confusion in the older woman.

"What's wrong, Vidy?" Miguel asked.

"I…" Videl began as she closed her eyes, the sound of birds growing louder and louder in her ears "I miss you, Mama."

And when she opened them again, she was laying down in a room that was unfamiliar to her. No, she had been here once before when Chi Chi had shown her to her room the day before. The bed she had slept in was quite comfortable but she felt it was missing something. The light of the morning sun was shining through the deep blue curtains of the room as Videl stretched on top of the bed. Damn that dream.

 _'Wait how did I get here?'_ she wondered _'the last thing I remember was talking to Gohan last night and… oh my Kami!'_

The thought that ran through Videl's head jolted her up and out of the bed, stumbling over and falling onto the carpeted floor. She had not only fallen asleep on Gohan but he more than likely had carried her to her room. How embarrassing! She hoped to Dende (having just remembered Kami's name) that she didn't say anything in her sleep or god forbid, drooled on him. Even if she did, Gohan would probably kept it on the down low and be a gentleman about it.

"Ugh…" she grunted as she got up from the floor and pulled open the curtains to let more sunlight in.

As she felt the warm glow of the sun's rays against her skin she noticed a figure sitting in the distance below. It was Gohan, dressed in one of his Gis, the one's that to Videl's pain and joy, proudly showed off his magical arms. He was sitting still, his legs crossed over each other with his eyes closed, clear signs that he was deep in meditation. Videl allowed her eyes to study the young man from the balcony of her room. He was surprisingly a lot more handsome than she had first thought. His jawline was quite well defined and his skin had this faint shimmer to it almost. The way his dark hair stood up, defying gravity was intriguing to Videl and yet it was swaying softly in the morning breeze.

A light blush had made its way its way to Videl's cheeks as she realized she was checking out Gohan Son. Erasa would have a field day teasing her. Her best friend had always said that Gohan was quite cute in a geeky sort of way but when the two of them saw him shirtless that one time at the mall, he was definitely a lot more than just a cute geek. He was in fact a drop dead gorgeous young man who was selfless, modest even when gifted with amazing power, had a genius IQ and was a Prince to boot. She turned away from him, trying to fight the temptation of watching him for a little longer before a large growling sound emanated from behind her.

"Ugh Gohan is your stomach really that bad?!" she called out, knocking the boy out of his meditative trance.

"Heh sorry." he replied, nervously scratching the back of his head.

Videl shook her head at him.

"Whatever, I'm going to go look for breakfast then." she stated, replacing the clothes she had slept in with fresh ones before making her way down to the kitchens.

Luckily for Videl, she had remembered which way she had to go to get to the kitchens. Good thing too as the castle was quite big and she could have easily gotten lost. When she entered the room she found Lime sitting at the breakfast table, eating a bowl of fried rice as she read up on the morning's news.

"Ah, good morning Videl" the auburn haired girl said "There's some fried rice on the stove. Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah actually, the beds here are pretty comfortable." Videl replied, causing Lime to smirk a little.

"Of course, I was the one that ordered them." she proudly boasted.

"Well, my back thanks you!" Videl quipped as she piled rice into a bowl and sat down across from lime.

"So, got any plans for today?" Lime asked.

"Yes, Gohan promised to teach me how to fly today!" Videl replied excitedly.

She was this close to reaching her dream. The girl sitting across from her laughed a little.

"Well hopefully Gohan has better luck and patience with you." she said.

Videl frowned a little.

"Gohan taught you how to fly?" she wondered.

"He damn sure tried!" Lime said with a chuckle "I just couldn't get it."

"I see." Videl said in an almost whisper.

For some reason she had this drooping feeling in her stomach. Was she a little jealous of Lime? The girl sitting across her was definitely someone you'd consider attractive. She didn't have a ton of make up on, just enough to accentuate her already natural beauty. Videl knew of a couple guys that would instantly fall for the auburn haired Lime. But would Gohan? Did something happen between the two before? And how did they meet. It was very rare to see a young woman around their age as the assistant of a great King. And for someone that would be in charge of a lot of important things, she seemed pretty laid back.

"Hey Lime, I was wondering…" Videl began.

"How I became the assistant to the Ox King?" Lime guessed to which Videl nodded.

 _'Wow she's good'_ Videl thought.

"Well it starts off when I met Gohan 7 years ago. This was just before the Cell Games and both my parents had fallen victim to Cell so I was living with my Grandpa at the time. He actually saved my life when we first met. I was trying to get an apple from this tree but I fell into a river and Gohan who was passing by jumped in and pulled me out" Lime explained.

Videl smiled at the thought of the young Gohan being a hero even for the little people. Videl however did not expect Lime's next sentence.

"I actually thought he was a pervert because when he pulled me out of the water, his hand was on my chest…" she said, giggling at the memory.

Videl's cheeks instantly flared red. There was no way Gohan Son, kind hearted Gohan Son was actually like that. Lime started laughing more at her reaction.

"Don't worry, your man's not like that." she jested, causing the Satan girl to scowl at her.

"He's not my… ugh whatever, what happened next?" Videl asked.

"Well, he ended up helping out my Grandpa and our village for a bit when some criminals tried to extort the villagers for money, trying to fool them into paying for a shelter to protect them from Cell."

The Ox King's assistant shuddered at little as she was telling her story.

"So I assume you already know how Gohan is. He couldn't let that slide so he and my Grandfather basically confronted the scammers and defeated their hired guns." Lime continued "After Cell was defeated, my parents were brought back but sadly passed away in a car accident and my Grandpa soon followed due to old age. The Ox King basically adopted me but I didn't really want to be a burden or to be pitied so I asked him if I could work for it. It was kind of unheard of for a 15 year old to be working closely with a monarch but ol' Gyu Mao gave me a chance and here we are, Lime Lao, the 17 year old assistant to one of the leaders of the World."

"That's… pretty impressive" Videl commented "What do you actually do for the Ox King?"

"Well, I manage his day to day affairs, oversee the castle's maintenance and staff as well as organising any important meetings he has. It's not as hard as some would make it out to be but it can be tiring."

Videl whistled lowly after the girl had described her job. She respected the girl a lot more now, especially learning that she wanted to work for her position instead of being straight up adopted and living in privilege. She was about to ask Lime another question when the door flung open, revealing the figure of Gohan Son.

"You guys ate without me?!" he wailed.

The two girls snickered over the upset Saiyan as he hurriedly clamoured around the kitchen, grabbing anything and everything he could eat. Videl should have been used to his eating habits by now but clearly, she was not. Clearly the boy was much more comfortable eating around her now, especially considering he was at a place he could consider home.

"Hueh Luim whrrus Grahmpuh?" he tried to say with his mouth chock full of food.

"Err try saying that without food in your mouth" Videl said in disgust.

Lime chuckled at the girl's reaction.

"Your Mother called and dragged him to find things for your wedding. I think she forced poor Goten to run errands for her too. Lucky I still have work to do here otherwise I'd be right there with them." she said.

Videl looked at the girl in amazement.

"Okay how did you understand what he said perfectly?" Videl asked with wide eyes.

The auburn haired girl laughed as she picked up her things and began to walk away.

"You just get used to it and trust me you will. After all…" she began with a devilish smirk "You're going to marry him. Later lovebirds!"

Videl instantly flushed red as Gohan began choking on his food. After a few moments and several coughs and smackings of the back, the two sat in silence again as Gohan continued with his morning meal.

"So… when are we starting?" Videl asked.

Gohan took a moment to swallow to make sure she could understand.

"Right after we eat but we'll have to relocate. There isn't a good area to practice here and I'd rather not have you learn how to control your energy in Grandpa's gardens"

"Fair enough, where are we going?" Videl asked as the Saiyan scraped up the final bits of rice in his bowl.

"There are some open fields at Mt. Paozu near my house that Goten and I sometimes train or in his words play in."

"Uhh Gohan, Mt. Paozu is like an hour and a half from here by jet. That's 3 hours we'll be spending travelling and…" Videl stopped "you're just gonna fly us there aren't you?"

"Yep" Gohan dryly replied.

"I should have guessed."

The two teenagers soon found themselves standing outside in the garden once more after Gohan had his giant appetite satiated. They were about to leave when Gohan realized one problem. Goten was most likely using Nimbus since he hadn't learned how to fly yet and there was no way they would use Videl's jetcopter as it would take forever. Blood began to creep into his cheeks as the thought of what he would have to do entered his mind.

"So what's the hold up?" Videl asked, her hands placed on her hips as she looked at the uncomfortable Saiyan.

"Imgonnahavetocarryyouinmyarms" Gohan mumbled quickly.

"I'm sorry what?" Videl blinked.

"I said…" Gohan began, desperately fighting the blush that was attacking his face "Because Goten's using what I was going to use for your transportation… I'm going to have to carry you in my arms"

"Oh…" Videl replied, not completely understanding.

And then the image of what would happen next hit her.

"Ohhhh…" she gasped "Let's um… let's just get this over with."

She desperately tried to fight the incoming blush as Gohan moved behind her and gently picked her up, his right arm across her back with his hand grasping her shoulder as his left arm was placed underneath her legs. Her soft, supple legs. Sweet Kami on an ice cream sandwich her skin was soft.

 _'I wonder if she moisturizes'_ Gohan thought, trying to fight a similar reaction to his cheeks.

"Can we go now?" Videl asked as she shifted in his arms.

His strong, powerful, ripped arms.

"Right" Gohan nodded as he took off.

He started his flight slowly as to not startle Videl who would not be used to the open skies and rushing winds without being in her jetcopter. For some reason, the girl looked a little uncomfortable. Her cheeks were slightly pink.

 _'Must be adjusting to flying still'_ he guessed.

Boy was he wrong. The girl in his arms was fighting an internal battle against herself and the dreaded evil word 'Blush'. And she was losing, badly. No matter how hard she fought, she couldn't keep her eyes away from studying the young man that held her in his arms. She felt helpless against both him and his damn good looks. The worst part was she had a point blank view of his chiselled chest that was exposed underneath his Gi. Why did his Gi have to show off so much of his body? It was the worst though Erasa and a small part of her mind would have argued it was in fact the best.

 _'Damn it focus on something else Videl!'_ she mentally scolded herself.

After struggling to pry her eyes away from Gohan's chest, Videl finally took in the sights below them. They were incredibly high up and boy did everything below them look small. For some reason, there wasn't as much wind blowing into her face as she thought. Perhaps Gohan was doing something that protected them? A small smile made its way to her face at the thought. Noticing that Videl was lot more comfortable now, Gohan sped up a little, even doing a slight twirl much to the girl's delight.

"Having fun?" he asked as Videl continued to laugh.

"Yeah! Go faster!" she ordered to which he obliged.

The pair sped through the sky before Gohan began to descend. Videl surveyed their landing area as they neared it. It was an open field bordered by forests with a nearby stream running along the side of the woods. With a light thud, Gohan's feet stepped onto the ground before he gently let the girl down.

"Thanks" she mumbled.

The two walked towards the center of the field and faced each other.

"Alright well, I've never really done this before…" Gohan began causing Videl to raise an eyebrow "Err… what?"

Videl frowned.

"Lime told me you tried to teach her to fly so… you've done this before." she stated.

Gohan grimaced, recalling the times he had tried to teach Lime how to fly but the dang girl was way too impatient with things and got easily bored. Which was surprising considering her Grandfather Mr. Lao was a martial artist.

"What I meant was, teaching someone how to control Ki from the beginning without any concept of it. Lime knew of it because of her Grandpa but she wasn't a martial artist so she had a lot more trouble with it than others I know" Gohan said.

Videl nodded, taking the answer as acceptable.

"So how are we going to this? You said I have to learn how to control Ki first right?" she asked.

"Correct, first we need to unlock your Ki then teach you how to control and manage it. Until we get that to a reasonable level, we won't be attempting any flying or levitating just yet."

"Ugh how long is that going to take?" Videl complained.

Gohan frowned at her response. Just great. Another impatient and hot blooded girl. Saiyans sure knew how to pick 'em. Somewhere a certain god who had turned his watchful eye on the pair chuckled. The mates of the Saiyans he knew were in fact incredibly patient. Saiyans were problematic after all.

"Honestly, I'm not sure because you have no concept of Ki however you are a long time martial artist so it should be easier for you than it was for Lime."

"Fine, let's start then" Videl said.

Gohan took a seat on the soft grass, crossing his legs and motioning Videl to do the same. She obliged as he held his hands out in front of him as if he were cupping an invisible ball. He furrowed his eyebrows a little as he pushed a tiny bit of energy between his palms. With a faint shimmer, a ball of Ki manifested itself.

"This is what we're going to aim to achieve first" he instructed "Go on, take a look and get a feel for it. We'll be spending our morning trying to unlock this."

Videl stared at the glowing ball of energy between Gohan's arms. It was oddly enchanting, like the faint glowing of fireflies in the forest night. Or at least, that's what she assumed. She had never actually been camping before. Maybe Gohan knew. Gohan meanwhile was looking down at the girl who was staring intently into his hands. The dim glow the ball of energy was emanating almost seemed to make her skin shimmer a little. The glint of awe, admiration and resolve that he could see in her eyes was almost darn right attractive. She had that look in her eyes that made it clear. She wanted to achieve this power. With an exhale of air, Gohan dissipated his Ki as Videl sat back.

"Alright, so that's what we're hoping to get to. Do you want to give it a go?" he asked.

Videl looked up at him before looking down at her hands. Several thoughts ran through her mind.

 _'Can I really do this? Gohan said it'd be easier for me to do it because I've been training in martial arts for most of my life. I can do this! I'm not the Daughter of the ... No, Dad never knew this Ki business and… he's not the bench mark anymore. Gohan is. But I can do it! He's taking time to teach me after all. I have to do this. I have to prove myself to him'_

The words _'I have to be worthy of him'_ almost went through her mind before she cut that out and focused on the task at hand. Videl placed her hands in a similar position to Gohan's and began to concentrate.

"Try to feel the Ki from your center and let it pass through your arms." he instructed.

She listened to his voice and focused on his instructions.

 _'Just feel it from your center.'_ she repeated in her mind.

She breathed in and exhaled, desperately trying to find that pull. Why wasn't it coming out? She grit her teeth and focused more on bringing it out. She had to get this.

"Keep calm Videl, it's not going to come out if you aren't relaxed." Gohan said.

Videl tried to calm herself but her breathing began to become a little uneven. She was getting frustrated. She had always been good at doing things. She had been considered a martial arts prodigy since she began at the age of 8. She was also pretty good in school, consistently getting As. She was great at sports too. Almost anything she had set her mind to, she had been able to get fairly quickly. So why couldn't she get this? Her eyes stared to water a little as she grunted in a vain attempt to force it out.

"You aren't going to get it like that, Videl. Don't beat yourself up over it. Just relax first." Gohan stated, starting to feel bad for her.

She looked up at him with teary eyes, catching him off guard a little. Her lip quivered a little. Almost to the point of taking pity on her, Gohan came up with an idea.

"Here, let me try something." he said as he took her hands into his own.

Videl was startled at first. For a being so powerful and strong, Gohan sure had a gentle touch. The fingers on his skin weren't as calloused as she was expecting.

"Alright, close your eyes." he instructed.

She did as she was told though Videl could feel herself squirming in her seat as Gohan's hands gripped onto hers a little tighter.

"Videl stop moving around." the boy grunted.

The Satan girl blushed lightly as she tried to sit still. She couldn't help it. His hands had become much firmer. For some reason, his hold on her felt quite manly and a little attractive. How weird was that?

"Okay so I'm going to share some of my energy with you so you can get a feel for it. It shouldn't be too much that it'll overload you but enough for you to be able to sense it within you" Gohan said.

Videl nodded as she kept her eyes closed. After a few seconds she felt a warm wave come over her body. Her senses began tingling as the hairs on the back of her neck stood up a little. Was this the energy Gohan was sharing? This is what Ki felt like? As she kept her eyes closed, she noticed she could feel a current of sorts running through her body. She began focusing on its movements as Gohan let go of her hands.

"That should be enough. Now try and meditate on that feeling. That's what you want to feel and run through you. When you can feel it coming out, release it gently" he said.

With her eyes closed, Videl continued to focus on the energy current she could feel running through her. Though she still had her eyes shut, she felt like she could see darkness. A faint light glowed from a distance.

 _'Is this my Ki?'_ she wondered.

She focused her mind on it as the light began to shine a little brighter. She kept her mind on it, slowly influencing it closer towards her. It flickered and danced around in a pale golden colour. Videl grit her teeth as to concentrate then remembered Gohan's words.

 _'Calm down and relax.'_

She did as she remembered and regulated her breathing, her focus still on the source of Ki. It began to manifest itself in a slightly more corporeal manner. Her efforts were working. She continued breathing evenly as the light came closer and closer to her, eventually stopping right in front of her. As it neared, she felt the familiar warmth of it. The heat moved slowly around her body. Suddenly she began to feel it more in her hands. Was this working? The feeling she had in her fingers was a little different. It wasn't as tingly as it was when she was trying to bring it out. No it felt a little more solid.

"There you go." she heard a voice comment.

A familiar voice.

"You're almost there." it said.

Videl continued her breathing as she continued to meditate. The feeling in her hands was getting stronger and stronger, almost vibrating against her fingers.

"Open your eyes." the voice said.

She did as she was told and was met with the smiling eyes of Gohan, clearly proud about something. Videl glanced down at her hands to find a glowing ball of energy between her palms. It wasn't as vibrant as Gohan's was but it was there.

"Good job, Videl." Gohan said proudly.

With a large exhale, Videl dissipated the ball of Ki as she fell forward, catching herself on the ground with her hands. That was a lot more tiring than she expected.

"That… that felt amazing." she said, looking up at Gohan with confident eyes "So are we ready for take-off now?"

Gohan chuckled lightly.

"Not yet, using your Ki for a beginner can get tiring at first so we'll take a break then we have to learn how to properly control your Ki" he said.

Videl nodded and straightened up. She looked up at the sky. The sun had moved a lot more than she expected. It was almost nearing noon.

"How long was I meditating for?" Videl asked.

"About two hours." Gohan bluntly said.

If Videl's jaw could hit the ground, it would have.

"That was 2 hours?! It felt like 5 minutes!" she exclaimed, jumping off the ground in disbelief.

"Yeah meditating can be tricky and fool you like that. One moment you're thinking nothing's happening then bam! It's later in the day" Gohan replied, adding extra emphasis on the bam causing Videl to snort at his dorkiness.

"Lucky I didn't fall asleep" she said "Wait, you sat there for 2 hours doing nothing while I was trying to bring out my Ki?"

"Nah I meditated too but I had myself attuned to your Ki so I could feel the rising and falling of your energy levels."

"I see," Videl said with a smile "thanks, I guess".

"Aw come on, it was nothing!" the young Saiyan replied.

Videl shook her head. Gohan was modest to a fault.

"No I mean it. You didn't really have to help me out like you did by sharing your energy. That's what you did right? Is this how you learnt how to use your Ki?"

"No my first teacher threw me at a mountain."

"What?" Videl blinked.

"Yep. It was either I use my Ki to survive and blow up the mountain or become a Gohan pancake" he said, a little hint of a smirk on his face "I chose the former."

Videl gulped a little.

"Well… I'm glad you didn't do that with me then!" she joked.

"Aw come on, I wouldn't do that to you, Vidy."

Videl's eyes widened at what he had called her. Her lips quivered a little at the memory of that nickname. Noticing her predicament, Gohan tilted his head in confusion.

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

"No…" Videl began "it's just… yes… I don't know?"

Gohan scooted a little closer to her.

"You can tell me, if you're comfortable with it, that is." he said reassuringly.

Videl gingerly nodded her head. She should be open with him too considering he had done that the night before.

"No one's called me Vidy since my Mum died," Videl stated "It was her nickname for me."

A pang of guilt hit Gohan's heart like a truck. He didn't even know why he did it or where he had even thought of it. It just came out and now he felt bad about it.

"I'm sorry, Videl. I didn't mean to…" he began before she cut him off.

"No don't apologize. You didn't know. It's not your fault it's just… I didn't expect anyone to call me that again." she said.

"How… how did your Mother pass on?" Gohan asked "you don't have to answer if you don't want to."

Videl shook her head as little droplets of tears began to form in her eyes. The memory of the dream she had that morning still burned a little. It always pained her to think about losing her Mother but she had to tell Gohan. It was only right.

"No, you told me about your Dad so it's only fair. I want to tell you." she said. 'I need to tell you, for me too.' she mentally added.

Gohan moved a little closer, placing his hand on Videl's in an attempt to comfort her.

"It was about 2 years before the Cell Games. We didn't live in our big mansion just yet since Dad was given that after the Cell Games. We lived in a pretty decent neighbourhood. Just a small house, nothing special but it was home to us. Anyways, I had just started martial arts training after begging my parents so Mum and I went to the mall to buy some gear for me. On our way home we stopped by a convenience store because Mum needed to buy a few things but I didn't really want to go so I went to a nearby park while I waited for her. Suddenly I heard yelling and saw that some guy was holding up a gun in the store. He was yelling at everyone inside to get down as he pointed his gun at the clerk, ordering him to take out all the money."

Videl sighed as she continued telling the story.

"Mum was always a pretty easy going person and loved to talk so she was trying to calm down the robber. He wasn't a big time crook, just a regular guy that had fallen on hard times and needed the cash badly. I wanted to run in and help out, maybe hit him with a Megaton Punch like my Dad would but I couldn't get close because some lady was keeping me away from there. She said it was no place for a child and that the police were on their way but I wanted to get to my Mum. While my Mum was trying to calm him down, one of the other hostages I guess you could say tried to make a run for it but bumped the guy with the gun, startling him. There was a loud gunshot and… and…"

Videl's voice trailed off as she desperately tried to keep in the tears that were ready to break loose. Gohan moved from his spot in front of her to beside her, putting his arm around the teary girl's shoulders in an attempt to console her. She willingly let him and leant her head against his shoulder.

"The guy panicked and shot his gun accidentally and it… it hit my Mother in the chest. He was so scared because he didn't mean to hurt anyone, he just wanted some money but he had shot someone. The guy made a run for it, not even taking any of the money as the police came. I tried to get closer but they wouldn't let me until I told them that my Mum was in there. By the time they let me in, they had a white sheet covering a body and I knew it was her."

Videl buried her head into Gohan's chest as the sobs came out. She continued to cry as the young man held her in his embrace, unsure as to what to do to help the girl. After a few minutes and several dried up tears she spoke.

"I'm sorry. It's just… it's been a while since I've told anyone and I'm not entirely over it. Sorry Gohan." she said.

"You have nothing to say sorry for." he replied "It's totally understandable and besides, I know how you feel, remember?"

She smiled weakly as she leant her head against his shoulder once more. There was something extremely comforting about being snuggled against Gohan. Maybe it was because he knew how it felt to lose someone. Maybe it was because it felt like he truly cared. Maybe it was because she was becoming a lot more attracted to him than she realized.

"Thank you for listening." she said, her head still against his body.

"It's no problem and sorry for calling you that." he responded.

A small chuckle escaped Videl's lips.

"No it's fine. I… I don't mind anymore." she said with a smile.

She thought she was over her Mother's death but it seemed like she wasn't. Perhaps Gohan could help her in that case. He was mostly over Goku's death but it still hurt every now and then. Perhaps they could get through it together. A few minutes of silence passed before Gohan was jostled from his relaxed state.

"What's wrong?" Videl asked as Gohan broke away from her.

"Oh Goten's coming here" he stated, pointing to a spot in the sky.

"Where?" Videl asked, staring blankly at the general area where Gohan had pointed.

 _'Seriously, where?'_ she wondered.

All she could see was the blue sky with several clouds littered against the azure backdrop. There was a mixture of the large fluffy clouds, several wisps of cirrus clouds and even a gold looking one amongst them.

 _'Wait a second… a gold cloud?'_

Videl's eyes narrowed at the golden puff. The sun wasn't shining into it nor was it a sunset so it shouldn't have been that colour. Also it was moving. She blinked. There was a slight breeze but nothing strong enough to blow clouds that quickly. Also it was moving towards them. Videl blinked again as the cloud descended into the open plain before stopping in front of them. Sat on top of the gold cloud was the young boy, Goten who was smiling brightly at the two teens.

"Hi Big Brother! Hi Big Sister!" he exclaimed happily "Whatcha doing here?"

"Big Sister?" Gohan asked with a chuckle "Did Mum tell you to call her that? And I was just teaching Videl how to control her Ki so she can learn how to fly."

"Ooh I want to learn how to fly too! Can you teach me too?!" Goten asked excitedly.

Gohan looked at Videl who seemed much more interested in the floating cloud.

"Sure maybe some time but for today I'm just going to focus on Videl, okay?" he said as he walked over to the young woman.

"What the heck is this thing?" she asked.

"It's a Nimbus cloud. It was passed down from my Dad. Basically you can ride it and it flies much faster than any jet on the market though we don't use it much anymore because we all know how to fly much faster." Gohan said before noticing a scowling Goten looking at him "Well, almost all of us."

"Right… I'm going to guess this was what you were going to get me to ride on?" Videl asked which Gohan confirmed.

"Correct but Goten was using it earlier today" Gohan said before turning to his younger brother "Are you finished with what you had to do with Mum then?"

"Yup! Actually she wanted me to get you and Big Sis for lunch. She called Lime to tell you to fly home but Lime said you weren't there."

A loud grumbling noise echoed through the plain at the sound of the word Lunch. Videl shook her head, her face buried in her palm.

"Let's get you fed then!" she said, an almost playful smile appearing on her face.

"Yay food!" both brothers cheered as Goten jumped back onto Nimbus.

"Are you going to ride with me, Big Sis?" he asked.

Videl eyed the cloud with uncertainty. She wasn't all that sure it was safe and in all honesty, she trusted the strong arms of Gohan a lot more than a magical cloud. The strong, ripped, firm arms of Gohan Son. On second thought…

"Sure, do I just hop on?" she asked, making her way towards the Nimbus cloud.

"Yeah though there is a condition though" Gohan said just as Videl had plopped onto the cloud.

"What's that?" she asked as she made herself comfortable beside Goten.

"Well only the pure hearted are allowed to ride a Nimbus cloud but I guess you have no issues with that" Gohan replied with a smile.

Videl chuckled weakly. Thank Kami the cloud didn't count the thought about Gohan's arms just now.

"Let's go!" Goten yelled as Nimbus rose into the sky, startling Videl a little.

Gohan followed close behind them as the cloud made its way towards the Son Family home where a delicious home cooked meal certainly waited for them.

* * *

Author's Notes:

A bit of a tamer chapter and while the whole "teaching Videl how to fly/use Ki" is kind of typical of GhVi stories, it is one of those things that's kind of important for the story to progress (or their relationship I suppose). I won't go over it too much in the future since it might be boring to read (like with Gohan retelling his backstory) but I still wanted to put it in there, even for just part of it. I also wanted to do a bit more on Videl's past and whilst it's not as interesting or varied as Gohan's, it's pretty much a blank slate for writers so I wanted to give it a bit more than just "she's rich and she fights".

RKF22/Aaron Leech, as always thanks you two for reading and supporting this since pretty much the beginning. I'm glad you both enjoy it a lot.

PkmnMewTwo, thanks! I'm not too sure what Universe 9 Videl's hair looks like. Is it that sort of one where she has the spikes like when she cuts it but has a long ponytail like in GT? I'm not all the sure I like that look to be honest if that's the case but thanks for the suggestions.

Mr. Me2, thanks man. It's been a long time since I've actually done writing and I'm very out of practice so thanks for giving me some things that I can work on. You hit the nail on the head with how I wanted to portray Videl being conflicted with happiness and being against it on principle. Thanks for thinking that I did an adequate job writing that down. I do agree with the Gohan telling Videl section as it is pretty much a given in every single GhVi story. I didn't just want to put "and then he told her his life story" or something like that since it felt like just treating it as an after thought but I didn't want to just make it a trip down memory lane without focusing on the reactions which I'm glad you enjoyed. Thanks again for the review.

Lightningblade49, yea Gohan's still pretty strong though he isn't at the level he was before (he had that emotional trigger at the Cell Games that put him over his limit but it's stagnated now). I think Vegeta had a line in the WMAT saying when Gohan transformed to Super Saiyan 2 that his power was only a fraction of what it was when he fought Cell. I'm gonna guess it's like 6/8ths or something like that. Oh oh oh and I think you've picked up on something I wrote at the end of an earlier chapter. ;)

FireSharingan359, I understand what you mean. Sometimes I see in a lot of DBZ fanfiction that Chi Chi's one dimensional with her character. She wants Gohan/Goten to only study, get married and give her grandkids. I will expand on this a little in future chapters so I'm hoping I do a well enough job of portraying that and don't end up making Chi Chi the typical "GIVE ME BABIES" character.

Guest, thanks dude! I think I try not to bash too many characters as most of the time it gets too... overpowering. Sometimes characters end up being too much like assholes for the sake of the story to try and portray the protagonist as superior. Not that there's anything wrong with that if the plot calls for it but I don't think I'll be making it too like that if it doesn't need to be. Also I wanted to portray Hercule as more than an egotistical liar.

Thanks to everyone that's read, reviewed, favourited and followed! Means as lot to me.

As for the next update, there won't be another chapter for about 2 or 3 weeks as I'll be flying abroad this weekend to attend a cousin's wedding as well as vacation time! Also speaking of the responses I got from my question about Videl's hair, I actually cut my hair for the first time in 3 years. It was like half a metre long and for a guy that's pretty long but now it's really short. I wonder if Gohan likes that. :^)


	16. Chapter 16 - Discoveries

**Chapter 16: Discoveries**

The saying "blink and you might miss it" was never more appropriate than whenever Gohan and Goten Son were eating their Mother's irresistible cooking in the comfort of their own home. Videl sat beside Chi Chi and the Ox King who ate their meal at a much slower and more humane pace.

"So what were you two up to before we called you to lunch?" Chi Chi asked.

"Gohan was actually teaching me to fly or well, to control Ki" Videl replied "we um, we manage to unlock my Ki through meditation but that took 2 hours for some weird reason."

"I see. Well, you've gotten passed me already by unlocking your Ki like that!" Chi Chi said, much to the pleasure of the younger girl.

"Thanks." Videl said shyly, acting bashful at the praise of one of her idols.

Lunch quickly passed and both Gohan and Videl were about to make their way back to the field they were in this morning when they were stopped by the Ox King.

"Ah Gohan, Videl before you go. I wanted to make sure if you two were available in the afternoons starting this week?"

"Uh I'm free although I did tell Goten I'd teach him how to fly soon." Gohan answered before turning to Videl. "What about you?"

"I should be pretty free unless something crime related pops up." Videl replied before quickly adding on "Though I'd like to continue learning about Ki and flying."

Gohan smiled softly at the girl's willingness to learn. Even the Ox King was a little impressed that the Satan Heiress wasn't some pampered girl who felt like she should be treated as a spoilt princess. No, she was a strong willed young woman who would be perfect for the Ox Kingdom.

"Well, considering your wedding and ascension to the throne will be in less than a year, I think we should begin teaching you two about what you'll be getting into exactly." he stated.

The two teens blushed lightly at the mention of their upcoming union before nodding at the old King.

"Of course, Grandpa." Gohan answered.

The Ox King smiled before clasping his giant hands on the couple's shoulders.

"You'll both do great!" he said before toddling away, back into the Son house.

"Ready to continue?" Gohan asked as he turned to Videl.

"You bet!" she replied as she jumped onto Nimbus who had been waiting nearby.

* * *

With a loud sigh, Videl plopped heavily onto her bed. Who knew that training to use Ki and learning to fly was so tiring? Gohan may have skipped over that detail much to her annoyance. She had managed to hover for a few moments at a time before dropping down onto the ground, almost falling over and kicking Gohan in the face at one point. There was no way she could hover or even drive her jetcopter after using so much energy. Lucky for her, she didn't have to manually fly home all the way to Satan City and instead used Nimbus. She was starting to grow fond of that soft flying marshmallow.

As she lay on top of the covers she began to replay today's events in her mind. The dream she had in the morning combined with Gohan suddenly calling her "Vidy" as well as retelling her Mother's death was something she didn't think she'd go through. Damn it for making her feel down. She was lucky that she had something as intense as learning to use Ki as a distraction. Not to mention her teacher was pretty good. Pretty good looking too a part of her mind added. Erasa would definitely agree.

"Oh shoot!" Videl suddenly shouted, jolting up from the bed.

She had completely forgotten that she was promised to talk to Erasa sometime during school about the whole "Prince" affair. She had meant to ask Gohan how he felt about others like Erasa and even Sharpner knowing about his being royalty, at least for now. Not to mention Videl had confided her suspicions about Gohan and the Gold Fighter to her blonde best friend. She wasn't all that sure if Gohan would be okay with her knowing that detail considering he shied away from any attention. Videl began to fiddle with her phone as she lay back down onto the softness of her mattress.

 _'Should I call him?'_ she mentally asked herself _'I've already spent two days with him. I don't want to seem like some clingy girl just because we're supposed to get married.'_

With a gentle push, she nudged the phone away from her body and turned away from it.

 _'I guess I'll just ask him tomorrow before school'_

Grabbing one of her pillows, she wrapped her arms around it and rested her head on top of another as the tiredness that had been building all day began to consume her. She had been thankful that she hadn't bumped into her Father yet. She wasn't all that sure she could face him, at least for now. Maybe someday she could but the lie she had been living for almost seven years was still a fresh wound for her. Even if the reasons why he did it were noble, he still could have told her. Pushing that out of her mind, she slowly closed her eyes. The visage of a certain spiky haired boy being the last thought to cross her mind as she drifted into slumber.

* * *

Gohan lay awake in his bed as the warmth of the morning sun began to peer its way into his room. He had woken up early for once, much earlier than he would have liked considering it was a school day. The past few days had been extremely eventful.

 _'Get taken on a shopping spree? Check. Fight some creepy guy and his gooey goons? Check. Get taken to meet the World Champion? Check. End up being engaged somehow to his Daughter and having her learn all about your life and Ki usage? Well that's something else.'_

A sudden beeping sound broke Gohan out of his thoughts as his morning alarm finally went off. Swatting the off button ever gently as to not break it, Gohan began to get out of bed when the door suddenly flew open.

"GOHA- oh you're awake already…" Goten exclaimed, slightly dejected he couldn't wake up his Big Brother.

"Morning Goten." Gohan said with a soft smile as he ruffled the younger halfling's hair.

"Well, Mum says breakfast is ready so… race you!"

Within a flash the two Son siblings had sat down, began inhaling food, mumbled expressions of appreciation about their Mother's cooking before Gohan had found his way back into his room. He was staring into his closet wondering what to wear. Perhaps he could humour Erasa and put on some of the clothes he had bought the other day. She seemed rather upset on Friday about it and he didn't want to make her feel bad. Perhaps a simple shirt and jeans would be okay. After quickly getting dressed, Gohan made his way back down stairs to kiss his Mother goodbye. Just as he was about to pass through the threshold of their front door, he was stopped by Goten calling out to him.

"Big Brother, wait up!" the little tyke yelled.

Gohan turned around to find his younger sibling bolting towards him, a sheet of paper flailing around in his hand.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Here!" Goten said happily as he handed the paper to Gohan "I made this for you and Big Sis!"

The older Saiyan looked down at the piece of paper to find a simple drawing of three figures, all holding hands. On the left was Gohan, spiky hair and all in his purple gi. On the right was Videl, with her oversized shirt and pig tails. In the middle holding both their hands was Goten whose hair was drawn a little too crazily even for the Son of Goku. Above them all was written in large letters 'My Big Bro and Sis are the best". A soft smile and light blush made its way to Gohan's face as he ruffled Goten's hair once more.

"I'll be sure to give it to her." he stated as he folded it neatly into his bag and took off towards Satan City.

Much to his delight, the morning flight to school was rather uneventful. Gohan hoped that he could have a much quieter week compared to last week. As he touched down in his favourite alley, he noticed he couldn't feel Videl's ki in the vicinity yet. Maybe she was still sleeping. The half Saiyan trudged his way into the school building towards his locker where he was greeted by his blonde muscle head friend.

"Yo." Sharpner said, giving Gohan the "sup nod".

"Hey Sharpner, how was your weekend?"

"S'aiight. Just took it easy," the blonde replied "You?"

"Eh it was eventful to say the least." Gohan responded, trying to sound as vague as possible.

He wasn't all that sure he was comfortable with letting people know about him being royalty, not to mention he was going to have to marry THE Videl Satan. He may be a little socially awkward at times but even he knew that Videl was a well sought after girl who garnered the attention of a lot of suitors. For some reason, that thought made his blood boil a little.

"I see you finally took Erasa's advice." Sharpner commented with a small laugh as he eyed the black haired boy's outfit.

"Yeah," Gohan said shyly scratching the back of his head "I guess it makes me look a little more decent."

"Less nerdy too. Good luck getting the ladies off you now!" Sharpner said as he clapped his friend on the back.

"Wh…what do you mean?" Gohan asked.

Sharpner snorted.

"Oh come on, you don't realize that some of the girls in our grade fancy you? Or at least check you out sometimes!"

A rush of blood made its way to Gohan's cheeks.

"No… no I haven't…" he responded.

Sharpner shook his head as he continued to laugh.

"Well you will now, especially with how you're looking at the moment."

"Is that a bad thing?" Gohan asked, oblivious to what Sharpner meant.

"He's freaking clueless…" Sharpner grumbled in disbelief as he slowly made his way towards their classroom.

"Wait, what do you mean?!" Gohan shouted as he ran up to follow his friend.

Sharpner studied the boy as they walked together through the long corridor.

"Ugh you know what? I'll make it easier for you."

"Okay…"

"Is there any girl you like? Or have an interest in?" the blonde asked.

"Like? As in like my friends or…"

Sharpner mentally facepalmed.

"No as in… okay let's see… you've been here a month right? Surely you've noticed that there are some primo ladies here."

"… okay?" Gohan responded, not entirely sure what Sharpner meant.

"Ugh… alright well let's name a few. What about that Angela girl from the other class? The preppy one. I heard from someone that she thought you were quite the catch."

"I… don't know who that is." Gohan blinked.

"Fine. What about the redhead twins in our class? Sherry and Brandy? Maybe if you're interested in one of them we could have a double date."

"I… I don't drink alcohol."

Sharpner stopped in his tracks and looked at the boy beside him in disbelief.

"Un-fuckin-believable…" he grumbled.

Gohan merely blinked at the blonde before continuing on his way.

"Alright alright… what about…" Sharpner continued as he caught up with his friend "Erasa?"

"Erasa?" Gohan wondered "Uhhh she's pretty but she's… not really my type."

 _'Wait so he understood the whole time?'_ Sharpner thought _'What the actual fuck is this guy's brain?'_

"Fair enough…" Sharpner said before thinking for a moment.

A thought struck him that would definitely help. Something he probably should have asked earlier.

"So what is your type?" he asked as the two turned the corner.

"Uh I don't really know? I don't really like the girly girl types. Someone I get along with I guess so it's not boring with them and we have something to talk about. I mean they don't have to be super pretty but I don't want someone that's let themself go if you get what I mean. Someone that can look after themself without having to rely on me too much."

Sharpner pondered for a minute before the name of the perfect girl for Gohan entered his mind.

"Oh no fucking way…" he began.

"What?" Gohan asked.

"You…" Sharpner continued "You… and… Videl?"

Gohan stopped in his tracks. Him and Videl? Did Sharpner know already? Did Videl tell him and Erasa?

"Err… what do you mean?" Gohan asked.

"Well you were describing the girl for you and honestly the only person I can think of like that who you'd actually consider is Videl."

Gohan was slightly relieved though a light blush did make its way to his face. Okay so his friends didn't know yet. One day he'd tell them. He'd have to considering it'd probably become public knowledge quite quickly once it was announced. He'd rather tell them himself than have them find out through some gossip magazine or clickbait article.

"Oh, what's this?" Sharpner said with a slight smirk on his face "Did I strike something on the head?"

"… nothing!" Gohan responded little too quickly much to his embarrassment.

"I should have known," Sharpner laughed "Brains has it for the Champ's Daughter!"

"Sharpner! Not so loud!" Gohan stammered as he looked around to see if anyone had overheard them.

"Haha he's not even denying it!" Sharpner continued as he poked fun at his dark haired friend.

"Sharpner! No! It's just… I don't want people to get the wrong idea!"

"Right… well good luck with that." the blonde said, clapping Gohan on the back as if he almost pitied him.

"What do you mean by that?" Gohan asked.

"Well," Sharpner began "I've just never seen Videl interested in things like relationships or even guys for that matter. Like not even me and I'm the biggest stud in this school!"

Gohan almost fell over a little at Sharpner's comment. His friend was anything but humble at times.

"You like Videl?" he wondered.

"No. I mean, I used to a few years ago but now I just try to flirt with her out of habit. I'll be honest though, I'm pretty sure she's only ever been interested in one guy her whole life."

"She had a boyfriend before?"

Sharpner chuckled a little. It seems like Gohan was a lot more interested in Videl's love life than he was letting on.

"No, she's never had a boyfriend before. She's just had this one major crush on some guy she's never even met."

"What? Like a celebrity crush?" Gohan asked.

"If you can call it that," Sharpner responded "Ever since she saw him on the Cell Games Broadcast she's been obsessed with him."

A little wad of spit accidentally made its way down the wrong pipe as Gohan began to choke and cough violently.

"Th-the Cell Games?!" he exclaimed after gathering himself.

"Yeah though she's kind of grown out of it the past few years I think," Sharpner laughed "Videl used to have the biggest crush on the Delivery Boy."

Gohan's cheeks instantly flared red. The kind of red that would make a fire engine covered in blood jealous. Videl had a crush on him growing up?!

"Th-that's… that's… something else!" he managed to stammer out.

Sharpner merely laughed at him as they entered into their classroom.

"Good luck dude!"

* * *

After the revelation of Videl's childhood crush on the Delivery Boy, Gohan found it hard to focus in class. Occasionally he'd glance at her or turn his head so that he could see her in the corner of his eye. She seemed a little apprehensive about something. Maybe he was making her uncomfortable? He tried his hardest to stop looking at her but he was starting to notice her a lot more than before. Sweet kami she was pretty. It was nearing lunch time when Gohan was nudged out of his Videl trance by the prodding of a finger from the person beside him.

"Hm?" he asked as he turned to Erasa who had passed him a folded up note.

"From Videl." she mouthed, a knowing smirk appearing on her face as soon as she handed him the piece of paper.

Gohan lightly blushed as he unfolded the note and began to read it.

 _'Hey, I need to ask you something before we go to lunch. Erasa's gonna grill me about the weekend and I want to know what you're okay with me saying.'_

Gohan turned his head to face Videl who had been looking at him the whole time he was reading it. He nodded gently to confirm that it was okay causing her to smile a little before returning to her school work.

 **BRRRRRRRRRRRING**

The bell quickly rung as the students began to rush out of the room, eager to get a break from the monotonous droning of their teacher. Erasa wanted to quickly drag Videl out of the room for some overdue gossip time when the Satan girl told her she'd catch up. The blonde looked over at Gohan who was still seated and back to Videl before an almost lecherous grin appeared on her face.

"Get out of here!" Videl snorted, pushing her best friend towards the door who was followed by Sharpner.

"Let me just pack up." Gohan said.

Videl nodded, waiting for him to finish before the two made their way to the an end hallway to talk.

"So what did you want to ask?" Gohan asked.

"Well… before we met up on the weekend I was talking to Erasa and I kind of told her about the whole arrangement thing." Videl said

Gohan nodded, understanding what she wanted to ask about.

"Alright so I'm guessing you want to know how much you can tell her?"

"Yeah," Videl replied "She's my best friend and I tell her pretty much everything but I want to know what's okay with you first."

Gohan pondered for a moment as he stared out of one of the big windows in the hallway.

"I do want to tell them but…" he began "You know I hate attention."

"I know," Videl said with a smile "But she's our friend, so is Sharpner."

The fact that Gohan and Sharpner were actually pretty good friends and got along really well was still something so weird to Videl. Even the whole school thought that the smartest person in the school and the star jock being great friends was a massive mystery. She guessed Gohan just had that kind of friendly aura to him.

"I… okay. I think we should tell them then." Gohan firmly stated.

"Wait like… everything?" Videl asked in shock.

She honestly didn't expect Gohan to give the okay to this.

"They're going to find out later anyways. I mean, better to get it over and done with, right?" he responded with a weak chuckle.

Videl studied the boy before her as he nervously scratched the back of his head. She honestly found that habit of his incredibly adorable. She took a breath, readying herself to ask for the okay for one other thing.

"There's something else…" she said "I may have confided in her that… I suspected you to be the Gold Fighter."

Okay this was something Gohan didn't really expect.

"I…" he started to say before pausing "Okay."

"Okay?" Videl asked.

"I should have thought of this when you confronted me about it the other day. I think I might be okay with them knowing I'm the Gold Fighter if they promise not to tell anyone but… I'm not sure I want them to know about Saiyans and Cell."

A slight wave of relief came over Videl. Good, he wasn't mad at her.

"I know this isn't easy for you but thank you." Videl said, giving Gohan a quick hug.

Gohan quickly blushed at her sudden display of skinship.

"Err no problem," he said "Besides, they're my friends too now."

The two of them quickly made their way outside to find their two blond friends sitting under their favourite tree, a pair of shit eating grins on their faces.

"So, are you ready yet?" Erasa asked.

She had started to get up so the two girls could go somewhere private figuring that Videl didn't really want Sharpner or Gohan to know yet. Videl merely nudged her back down onto the grass.

"I'm telling you both." Videl stated.

Gohan meanwhile had sat down opposite Sharpner and began to quickly fill himself with food, trying to avoid the teasing gaze that his friend was giving him.

"Wait us both?" Erasa asked "Gohan already knows?!"

"Knows what?" Sharpner asked, peering up from his sandwich.

Videl turned to Gohan who was still inhaling his food. He took a moment to swallow before nodding for her to continue.

"You two have to promise me you won't tell anyone about this unless I say it's okay."

The two blondes nodded. They definitely didn't want to anger Videl if it was that serious.

"Well… I told Erasa this on the weekend but my Father has… arranged me for me to marry the heir to the Ox Kingdom."

There. Part one was out. Next up, letting them know who the actual guy was. Videl cautiously eyed the two blondes trying to gauge their responses. Erasa who had known already looked like she had hearts coming out of her eyes. Sharpner meanwhile looked shocked.

"And… you're accepting?" Sharpner asked, still in disbelief that Hercule Satan would marry his daughter off like that.

"Of course she is! She's going to be a beautiful princess!" Erasa yelled, almost a little too loud for Videl and Gohan's liking.

 _'Queen'_ Gohan mentally corrected as he continued to eat.

"I… well…" Videl began but couldn't figure out how to say what she wanted to say.

"And here I thought you weren't for it. Must be some special guy if he's got you bad like that!" Erasa commented with a laugh.

 _'That he is…'_ Videl thought almost dreamily as she glanced towards Gohan who had a deep crimson colour to his cheeks.

Sharpner meanwhile felt a little bad. Just this morning he had found out that Gohan fancied Videl and here she was telling them that she was going to be married. To a prince out of all people! How was shy little Gohan going to compete? But what he didn't expect was the dark haired boy didn't look at all dejected. In fact was he… blushing? That was weird.

"What's his name?" Sharpner suddenly asked, catching Videl off guard.

"His name is err…" Videl tried to say but the words couldn't come out.

Why was she feeling so embarrassed about this? Erasa and Sharpner were her two closest friends. She had known the two for over a decade. They were friends before she was known as the Daughter of the World Saviour. They had stuck with her through it all.

"Well, what's his last name?" Erasa asked.

"Why do you want to know that?" Videl wondered.

A smirk graced the lips of the busty blonde.

"So I can call you Videl whatever his surname is and not Videl Satan." she said with a wink.

Videl instantly flared red. She hadn't even thought about it before. If she did get married to Gohan she wouldn't be Videl Satan anymore and would be Videl Son instead. To be honest, it had a nice ring to it. Not that she would admit that to anyone. She turned to Gohan who had buried his head once again in his food.

'Typical' she thought 'he's way too shy even though it has to do with him.'

Videl opened her mouth to speak but what came out was incomprehensible.

"Ichon" she said, not sure what exactly had come out.

"What?" Erasa and Sharpner both blinked.

Videl swallowed the saliva that had been building in her mouth and with a big gulp, spoke again.

"It's Son" she said, much clearer.

The two blondes were silent, staring at Videl after she had spoken those two words. Both their eyes turned towards the dark haired male sitting beside them who's face had gone completely tomato. His surname was NOT a common one.

"Son?!" Sharpner yelled, his voice cracking as he spoke "As in Gohan Son?!"

Erasa was also astonished. Gohan was the mysterious Prince of the Ox Kingdom? He was going to be engaged to Videl? She eyed the boy who seemed to be getting smaller and smaller as he buried himself into his own body before staring blankly at Videl who meekly nodded.

"You're… you're kidding!" Erasa said in disbelief.

No wonder Videl was suddenly less pissy about it. Some people may consider Erasa as just a ditzy blonde who wasn't very attentive but when it came to Videl, she could tell a lot more than most people. They were best friends for a reason. While their friendship may have started a little shakily, she could clearly see that they had a soft spot for each other. And Videl definitely never had a soft spot for a guy before. Not even Sharpner and they had been friends for years.

"So… let me get this straight," Sharpner began "Not only is Gohan a prince but you two are getting married?!"

Videl meekly nodded again. Gosh this was so embarrassing. She had pretty much zero experience relationships and dating. Erasa had always wanted Videl to find someone so that they could gossip about the regular things that girls did but Videl had no idea what to do. This was all so new to her. She looked at her best friend who had this somewhat annoying smile on her face. Oh it was going to happen now. Sharpner meanwhile started laughing a little to the confusion of the other three.

"What's so funny?" Videl demanded.

"No it's just… sorry," Sharpner said "But you know, at least you're finally getting someone who isn't just a face you obsessed with for so long."

 _'Oh no,'_ Videl thought _'Please don't bring that up.'_

She cautiously eyed Gohan who's blush hadn't seem to die down yet.

"I mean, you obsessed with that bloody Delivery Boy for so long that Erasa and I never thought you'd actually find someone. Better than some mystery boy that you'd probably never meet!" the blonde jock continued.

"Sharpner!" Videl shrieked "Wh-what are you saying?"

Now Videl had joined Gohan in the blush department. She really didn't want him to know about that. It was so embarrassing and unlike her. Erasa meanwhile studied the husband and wife to be. It was so cute how embarrassed they were getting. She recalled Videl's suspicions about Gohan being both the Gold Fighter and the Delivery Boy grown up. Now that she thought about it, the similarities were there. She just hadn't noticed them before. She was glad Gohan no longer wore baggy clothing that hid his gorgeous body and even though it was just a simple shirt, it definitely showed off those godlike arms. Her eyes traced down the toned appendage until she noticed something wrapped around his wrist. The red bracelet. So it was true!

"Holy shit…" she murmured.

"What?" Sharpner asked.

"THE BRACELET!" Erasa suddenly screamed "GOHAN'S WEARING IT!"

The other blonde looked at Gohan's arm and noticed the red piece of jewellery. Come to think of it, it was pretty familiar, like he had seen it before. Then it hit him. Videl was given the same one all those years ago. He remembered Mr. Satan telling her that the Delivery Boy had one too. Does that mean Gohan was…

"Oh I fucked up…" he said, almost in a whisper.

Videl buried her face in her hands as the embarrassment took over. Here she was worried about Gohan's feelings when he would be revealed to their friends as both the Ox Prince and Gold Fighter and it somehow turned into the Videl Embarrassment Hour. She wondered if Gohan knew his Father's teleportation technique he had mentioned before so he could teach her and she could find some abandoned planet on the other side of the galaxy to hide in. Or maybe go visit Namek for several thousand years if it was still around.

"So you're the Gold Fighter?" Erasa asked, leaning forward so no one could accidentally overhear them.

Gohan nodded, his face still bright red.

"Holy shit… that's amazing." Sharpner commented.

"So all your powers are real then?" Erasa asked to which Gohan nodded in conformation.

They were taking it a little better than he expected.

"Damn that's crazy," the girl said "Can anyone learn those powers or is it just you?"

"No, anyone can learn it provided you have martial arts training and are dedicated enough." Gohan responded.

"Well that eliminates you!" Sharpner joked earning himself a glare from the other blonde.

"I can't believe this though…" Erasa said trying her best to ignore the chuckles from Sharpner laughing at his own joke.

"What do you mean?" Videl asked.

"Well it's just… okay let's start from the beginning. There's the Delivery Boy who as soon as you saw him on the broadcast seven years ago instantly developed a crush on…"

"Erasa could you please stop mentioning that!" Videl grumbled through gritted teeth.

"Sorry!" Erasa laughed "Well then seven years later, the Gold Fighter appears and starts helping you out with crime and you figure out that he's the Delivery Boy all grown up. Not to mention he's a complete stud."

It seemed like Gohan's cheeks were going to be permanently pink today. He buried himself in his arms trying to avoid the attention that the other three were giving him.

"And then you happen to get hooked up with a Prince and that guy happens to be the Gold Fighter? Our friend Gohan?! Like who the fuck writes this sort of thing?!" Erasa yelled, ending her tired.

Videl merely nodded in embarrassment. Even she could see how farfetched this whole thing was and yet it was real. Everything Erasa said was real and was happening to her.

"It's like you two are destined to be together." Sharpner commented.

"Wow, that's super romantic!" Erasa gushed with hearts in her eyes.

Videl shook her head at the antics of her two blonde friends. At least they were taking this quite well even if it meant teasing the living hell out of herself and Gohan.

"You guys promise not to tell anyone about this, okay?" Videl spoke, her blue eyes staring sternly at the two blondes.

"Sure thing but you two have to do something for me." Sharpner said.

"What is it?" Gohan asked.

"Find me some hot princess babe to be my date to your wedding."

The other three promptly fell over. Go figure that Sharpner would say something like that. Gohan meanwhile felt a little relieved. He was incredibly scared of how his two other friends would react. Videl he could understand due to her wealth and status but the other two were a lot more normal compared to them. Well, Gohan was extremely far from normal. He was a half-alien teenager with genius level intellect, had saved the world multiple times as a child and was the heir to an entire kingdom.

"You guys won't treat me any differently, will you?" he nervously asked.

"Don't worry, Gohan," Erasa said, shooting the boy a reassuring smile "you're still the same ol' Gohan to us."

"Yeah," Sharpner added "I mean I used to think you were just a nerd but…"

"But?" Gohan asked.

"But now you're a royal nerd!"

Gohan couldn't help but laugh at Sharpner's joke. He was glad to have friends like them.

"Not just a royal nerd," Erasa suddenly said "He's Videl's Royal Nerd!"

And cue dark hair teenager blush.

* * *

The rest of the school day was almost torturous to both Videl and Gohan. Erasa and Sharpner had taken to sneaking in marriage jokes whenever they could with Erasa even trying to guess what they would name their first child. As soon as the bell rang, Videl moved to run out of the door to escape their teasing. After clearing her locker and grabbing her thing she was met by a concrete wall that had somehow walked into her path. She blinked a few times. No scratch that, it was just Gohan's chest.

"Oh sorry Videl!" he nervously apologized.

"It's no problem but could you be careful next time?" Videl said

"Sure thing."

Videl moved to the side to leave when she noticed Gohan still looking at her.

"Something on your mind?"

"Actually yeah, I was thinking we should go visit Grandpa and get started with whatever he wanted us to do." Gohan replied "That is if you're not busy?"

"Sure," Videl said "I did want to drop by the precinct just to see how things are but you're free to come along. Shouldn't take too long."

"I'm down," Gohan replied "Oh I nearly forgot, Goten wanted me to give this to you."

The boy opened his bag and pulled out a neatly folded piece of paper. Videl took it from him and opened it. What she saw instantly brought a smile to his face. Goten was way too adorable. So this was what it was like to have a younger sibling.

"Be sure to thank Goten for this drawing for me." she said as she folded it up and placed it in her own bag.

"Will do, let's go?"

"Yeah before Erasa and Sharpner find us again." Videl said, slightly rolling her eyes at the blonde duo's antics.

The two made their way up to the school roof and got into Videl's jetcopter, carefully looking around to check if they were followed by anyone. The quick flight to the Satan City precinct was quiet with the two enjoying the easy silence between them. A few moments later Videl set the jet down just outside the main building before jumping out, followed by Gohan as they walked inside.

"Ah Miss Videl! Lovely to see you again!" the receptionist greeted.

"Afternoon Olivia, how's everything?" Videl asked as Gohan stood behind her.

"Eh same old, now who's this young man? My my Videl, got a boyfriend already?" Olivia teased.

"N-no!" Videl sputtered "This is Gohan, he's a friend from school."

She didn't really want to say who Gohan really was. Like hey! Here's my fiance! She'd never live it down and Olivia was like an aunt to her.

"Sure thing, Videl. Here to see the Chief?"

"Yeah" Videl replied.

"Alright, I'll buzz you in but your friend will have to sign a visitor's form and grab one of those tags over there."

Olivia pointed to a tray on the other side of the desk with a bunch of tags on it as well as an open book with a pen beside it. Videl motioned Gohan over toward it and he complied, signing his name and grabbing one of the tags. He placed it on the fabric over his chest and followed Videl as they walked through the precinct.

"How often do you drop by here?" Gohan asked.

"I try to come in once a week but usually I just help out in the field."

"That's pretty cool." Gohan commented.

Things were a little awkward, he supposed. After walking a fair bit they reached the end of the hallway where a door labelled "Police Chief" greeted them. It seemed like the Chief was talking to someone but Videl knocked anyway.

"Come in!" the gruff voice of the Police Chief called out.

Videl opened the door to find the Chief sitting at his desk talking to none other than Krillin who was seated across from him.

"Ah Videl, welcome back! How are you?" the slightly puffy man asked.

"Good, I see Officer Krillin's here already."

Gohan meekly peeked out from behind Videl hoping Krillin wouldn't notice him. Not to mention he could probably sense him if he focused on his ki. Gohan would never hear the end of it if Krillin caught him with a pretty girl like Videl.

"Yes! Officer Krillin here is a fantastic man and in fact, I was just going to promote him."

"Wait already? Isn't today supposed to be his official first day?" Videl asked in amazement.

"It is actually but a man of his abilities shouldn't be locked into such a low ranking position. Did you know we actually had three instances of armed robberies today and didn't even have to call you for assistance? Krillin here pretty much wrapped up everything by himself!"

The Police Chief stood up and gave Krillin an almost proud clap on the back of the shoulder. The bald monk laughed sheepishly as the Chief gushed over his achievements.

"Oh it was nothing, I was just doing my job" Krillin said.

"Honestly you're exactly what this force needs and Videl will be able to take it easier from now on without being called out of school so often."

Krillin smiled at Videl before noticing the young man standing behind her. The biggest shit eating grin appeared on his face as he saw Gohan fidgeting uncomfortably. If there was something going on between the two then he would definitely tease Gohan to no end. It was only right. In fact, even if there wasn't he was going to tease the Saiyan. It was only fair after what Gohan had blurted out about himself and Eighteen all those years ago.

"Ah I didn't notice the young man standing behind you. Now who might this be, Videl?" the Police Chief asked.

"Uh this is Gohan Son, a friend of mine."

"Is he interested in joining the force too?" the Police Chief asked hopefully.

His eyes moved up and down the teen's body studying him. He was tall, definitely built and could probably do some damage in a fight with enough training.

"Err no…" Videl answered.

She definitely didn't want the Police Force to know Gohan was the Gold Fighter. He might not be able to live quietly again.

"A shame. Anyways, did you want anything in particular or were you just dropping by?"

"Actually," Videl began "I did want to tell you that I'm going to be a lot busier for the next year so I might not always be available to help out."

"That's fine, Videl." the Police Chief said as he sat back down "Having Krillin here should help out a lot and even if we're in a bit of trouble we can always rely on that Gold Fighter. He seems to pop up whenever something big is going down."

A slight wave of apprehension washed over Videl at the mention of the Gold Fighter. She turned her head slightly to look back at Gohan who was looking anywhere but the three others present in the room.

"Right, is there anything else I need to know?" Videl asked.

"Oh yeah, now that you mention it. You remember those things you asked us to look at? That jaguar symbol and those thugs you fought at the mall the other day?"

"Yeah?"

"Nothing came up in our search. I'm sorry."

"Bummer," Videl said dejectedly "I guess we'll have to wait til something comes up for more information."

"I figured we'd have to do something like that but we'll keep an eye out and let you know if anything happens."

"Thanks." Videl said with a smile.

She turned around and grabbed Gohan by the arm to lead him out.

"Come on, let's go…" she said before she noticed something pinned on one of the corkboards attached to the room's walls.

It was a picture of a man with greying hair and half rimmed glasses. Beside his picture was the picture of a young girl about the same age of Goten with flowing brown hair and eyes the same colour. Written above them in bold red letters was MISSING.

"Who's this?" Videl asked, detaching the pictures from the corkboard.

"Ah that. East City PD sent us that. The man is Doctor Donald Temple, a scientist that works in the biological field. The girl is his daughter, Valese. They were reported missing almost two weeks ago after they failed to return from vacation. Not sure how much help we can be but they sent us that just in case something comes up."

Videl studied the two pictures. The little girl was strikingly beautiful for her age and it hurt her inside a little to know someone like her was missing, especially at her age. Hopefully she was okay. She turned to the Police Chief.

"Is there anything special about Doctor Temple? Other than him working in like biological research or whatever."

"Well he's an expert in his field but I suppose most scientists are," the Chief replied "though there were rumours a few decades ago of him being involved in some shady groups when he was younger but that was never proven."

"What groups?" Krillin asked, starting to taking an interest in the exchange between the two.

"I believe it was the Red Ribbon Army." the Police Chief stated.

Videl, Gohan and Krillin's eyes all widened. If this guy had connections to the Red Ribbon Army then that could definitely be bad news. Especially if he was working on something that could potentially harm the world.

"This could just be a random missing person's case but if the Red Ribbon Army or something related to them is involved then this could be bad." Videl said.

"Think it could be something more?" the Chief asked.

Videl nodded.

"Alright I'll trust your judgement. I'll get some of the detectives looking up leads and see if we can locate the Doctor and his daughter."

"Thank you." Videl said as she attached the pictures back to the corkboard.

"We'll be going now." Videl said as she waved goodbye to the Chief and Krillin.

Gohan awkwardly waved as well much to the amusement of Krillin who motioned to Videl and mouthed the words "hot girlfriend". He was never going to live this down. After returning Gohan's tag, the two made their way outside and walked towards a quiet park before Gohan picked Videl up in to his arms and flew off towards Mt. Frypan.

 _'Damn it'_ Videl thought as a blush made its way to her face _'This isn't even the first time and I'm still blushing like a little school girl.'_

She leaned into Gohan's chest as the young man focused on flying. She would never admit it but she liked this a lot more than riding Nimbus.

* * *

Author's Notes:

I'm back from my vacation! I had a great time and it was pretty emotional watching my eldest cousin finally get married. I might incorporate some things from their wedding into this story if it fits. ;)

Thanks to everyone that waited patiently for an update. Hopefully I'll be able to get them out at my usual pace. Probably once a week or two weeks at most.

The Guest Talking about the Dragon Balls, I knew he upgraded them but I wasn't entirely sure when. It's been such a long time since I've watched DBZ that I've forgotten. If he did it straight after the Cell Games then I'm sorry I forgot but I sorta assumed he did it in between during the 7 year time skip. I'll definitely add the upgrade in this story so it makes sense. As much as Gohan does deserve the respect, I'm not sure it's within his character to want it out in public. I mean he's already going to be a King so that's a lot for a young man his age to deal with. He'll get his own respect in his own way but probably not as "the World Saviour", at least not from a public stand point.

The Impatient Guest, sorry dude but I did say it would take 2-3 weeks for the next update as I was on vacation as well as some other real life things happening. Us writers do have lives too so sometimes we won't be able to update incredibly fast as much as you want or we want to be able to. Please be patient! A lot of us try our best with these sort of things and don't want to rush out crappy chapters if we can help it.

Rahmi10, glad to see you made an account! Thanks for enjoying my story a lot!

a.k.a Videl, Thanks a lot! I'm glad you're enjoying some of the changes I've made. Yeah I wanted to do something a little different with Hercule. While there are a few stories that do portray him in a better light than most, I find there are a LOT of stories that make him out to be some incredibly detestable human being who would sell his own daughter if that meant he'd be on TV for a bit longer. While him being a villain is fine if it fits the story, sometimes it's just a bit much. I do agree with the explanation part with Gohan's story and I have mentioned this before. It's one of those things that as a long time DBZ fan you pretty much already know but for fanfics you sorta have to put some of it in for it to make sense in the story. Thanks for your kind words!

As always, thank you everyone who has read, followed, favourited and left a review. It means a lot to me!

Make sure to let me know your thoughts on the story, what you liked, what you think could be better, stuff like that.


	17. Chapter 17 - Royalty 101

**Chapter 17: Royalty 101**

The gentle autumn wind rustled the silk curtains that adorned the many windows in the Palace at Mt. Frypan. In a nearby overlook adjacent to a side entrance two teenagers descended from the skies, one in the strong arms of the other.

"Thanks." Videl said shyly as she hopped down from Gohan's hold.

"No problem." the boy replied.

The two made their way into the castle as Gohan focused on his Grandfather's Ki to locate him. It seemed that he was in one of the south side meeting rooms as he was surrounded by other smaller Kis as well as the familiar one of Lime's. As the they reached the door, Gohan knocked respectfully before the door was opened by Lime.

"Ah Gohan, Videl. How are you?" she asked.

"Good," Gohan replied "We're not interrupting anything, are we?"

"No, we're just having a small meeting but we're just about finished. I guess you two are here to get started on learning on how to properly be royals?"

"Yeah," Videl nervously replied "I hope it isn't too hard."

"I didn't think you were the type of girl to shy from a challenge." Lime said with a playful smirk on her lips.

"I'm not but you know, it's still a little nerve wracking."

Gohan nodded in agreement. The trio waited several more minutes before the booming voice of the Ox King called them in. As the two newcomers entered the room behind Lime they noticed several faces looking at the two in interest.

"Ah Gohan, Videl! Welcome back!" the Ox King said as he moved to wrap the two teenagers in a large embrace.

"Hey Grandpa." Gohan said with a smile.

"This is Prince Gohan?" one of the women sitting at the desk asked "My, he's grown since I last saw him."

Gohan smiled at her as he tried to remember her name. She did look familiar.

"Oh!" Gohan said as he remembered who she was "Miss Brahma, nice to see you."

The woman smiled at him and bowed her head respectfully.

"This is your heir?" another voice spoke up.

Gohan turned to the new voice. It came from a man, in his forties with dark brown hair that was slicked back and a moustache that twirled at the ends.

"Yes, Angus. This is my Eldest Grandson Gohan." the Ox King replied.

Angus' eyes surveyed the male teen which was making Gohan slightly uncomfortable. He shifted a little closer to Videl subconsciously causing Angus to turn his attention to her.

"And Miss Satan is here for what reason?" he asked.

"Videl here," the Ox King began as he clasped his large left hand on Videl's shoulder "is Gohan's fiancée."

Several pairs of eyes around the room widened as some mouths hung in surprise. If they could remember Prince Gohan was still a teenager and he was already engaged? To the daughter of Mr. Satan of all people? Sure she was probably the most well-known girl his age on the planet but she didn't really have any political significance. As popular as Hercule was around the planet, some of the Ox Kingdom's nobles preferred nobility to marry nobility.

Videl could feel several people look at her in disdain. In particular, the man known as Angus seemed to be staring daggers into her. She turned her face away from him so she wouldn't see him and noticed the woman Brahma smiling at her. She smiled back politely and bowed her head gently.

"Ah but where are my manners!" the Ox King exclaimed "I haven't introduced everyone to you yet."

He began pointing around the room, introducing everyone to the two future rulers.

"You know Brahma, of course. She manages Internal Affairs in regards to the many villages located around the Ox Kingdom."

Brahma gave the two a respectful bow as her grey bob almost bounced around her face.

"Over here we have Carabao, the Ox Kingdom's Treasurer. If you need help with anything finance related, he's your man."

Carabao nervously bowed. Videl couldn't feel but help that he might be a little intimidated by her. Nonetheless, he looked like an okay person.

"The woman sitting beside him is Preta. She's in charge of Agriculture and Water Resources."

Preta bowed her head. From what Gohan could see, she had a much more "rural" vibe to her compared to the others. He supposed it was fitting for someone in her position.

"At the fair side of the table is Kobe, the minister for Arts, Sports and Entertainment."

"Kobe!" said man suddenly yelled out, throwing a scrunched up piece of paper into a rubbish bin on the other side of the room.

Videl couldn't help but let out a small laugh. The man reminded her a little of Sharpner which amused her. Her laughter died down when she saw Angus' eyes narrow as if he was judging her. It was honestly making her uncomfortable. The Ox King continued.

"The large man with the full beard next to him is Aurochs. He's in charge of the Defence Force and Border Security."

Aurochs gave the two teens a gruff nod. It seemed like he was a man of few words. Gohan couldn't help but be reminded of Vegeta and Piccolo.

"There, of course is Angus. He manages Foreign Affairs."

Videl didn't want to but she was honestly a little intimidated and dare she say annoyed at the constant glares Angus was shooting her. She wondered why that was. Was it because of who she was? Who her father was? She resolved that she would show him that she was worthy of the Ox Kingdom.

"And finally we have Hanwoo. She works in conjunction with Capsule Corp and as such is in charge with our Science and Energy industries."

Hanwoo smiled politely and bowed her head as many of her colleagues had before her.

"What about me, Grandpa?" a voice suddenly said.

Gohan and Videl turned around to notice Lime with an unamused expression on her face.

"You haven't forgotten about me, have you?" she said with a playful tone.

"Of course not but you're basically family." the Ox King laughed "You know Lime already, my personal assistant and the one that runs the day to day affairs of the castle."

"Hmph." she scoffed, trying her best to seem as pretentious as she could.

"Ah don't do that." Gyumao chortled.

"So these two are the future rulers of the Ox Kingdom?" Preta asked.

Gohan could feel his palms getting a little sweaty which he wiped on his jeans as his throat became a little dry. In all honesty, he was scared and nervous about this. While he was happy to fulfil his Grandfather's dying wish, he hadn't really thought about interacting with the Ox King's advisors and councillors. He glanced over at Videl who seemed to be having the same train of thought. For whatever reason that was unknown to him, he reached down and grabbed her hand. Videl was startled and turned to him to ask why he did that but he said nothing, only squeezing the hand gently in reassurance.

"Yes," the Ox King responded "As I had told you earlier, I will abdicating my throne to Gohan and as such will be preparing him to rule within the year."

"But that is such a short amount of time and Prince Gohan hasn't exactly been brought up around courtly intrigue." Angus said "Will he be able to learn everything in time?"

"I have no doubts that both Gohan and Videl will be up to the challenge but that is why we have the royal council. I expect each and every one of you to both assist and instruct the two as they become more comfortable in their roles."

"You can count on us, my King." Brahma replied.

Videl smiled at the older woman who smiled back. It seemed she was the friendliest of the council and Videl made a mental note to rely on her in the future.

"Now, the Ox Council will not always be available to tutor you two as they have their own affairs to attend to within the kingdom which is why I have also brought in another teacher." the Ox King said.

He motioned Lime to open the door. As the door opened, another woman stepped forward and courteously bowed to the royals.

"I am here and ready to serve, my King." she said as she finished her greeting.

"Thank you for coming, Siri." Gyumao said with a smile "This is Siri, she will be instructing you both on proper courtly behaviour as well as the many tasks and enterprises you will be expected to complete."

The woman Siri looked to be in her fifties and had greyish-black hair that was tied up in a thick bun. A pair of thick rimmed glasses sat on her nose as her brown eyes studied the two teenagers.

"Now now, this won't do at all." she commented, shaking her head at them.

"Err what's wrong?" Gohan asked.

"Your… choice of attire is rather… plebeian and does not represent your royal heritage. Nor does it speak volumes of your future positions."

"Now wait a minute!" Videl interrupted, almost shouting "If you think you're going to try and throw some uncomfortable monstrosity on either of us then you have another thing coming!"

Siri, slightly taken aback at the girl's outburst turned to her King who simply chuckled and shook his head at her. A slight smirk appeared on the old woman's face.

"You have spunk, my dear." she said with a smile "It is good to see that you have some backbone. Very well, there will be no changing of your entire wardrobe but you must realise that for certain events you will be required to attend there is a dress code."

Videl and Gohan both shuddered at the thought. They had both preferred wearing clothing that allowed for comfort and the ability to fight.

"Err alright Miss Siri," Gohan said "Just nothing too constricting, please."

"Very well. Will you two follow me?" Siri requested as she bowed to the King and walked out of the door.

Gohan looked at his Grandfather who nodded.

"Go ahead, Gohan. I'll join you once we've finished here." he said.

Gohan turned to face the others and bowed respectfully to which Videl quickly followed, not wanting to seem rude. The two made their way out the door and caught up with Siri who had walked quite a ways away.

* * *

Videl groaned as she sat down on the wooden bench in her favourite garden. It was now 7 in the evening and the woman Siri had been relentless in her 'instructions' of proper royal behaviour. From the way that she walked which was considered rather unfeminine to her manner of speaking. Videl had been rather amused when they stopped for dinner and Siri was left aghast at Gohan's eating habits.

 _'Good luck fixing that!'_ Videl mentally laughed.

She wasn't sure why she was even considering the things Siri was telling her. She had told herself that she wanted people to accept her for who she was. Gohan seemed to. But then again, nobility often had different views on how things should be. She had known that from her experiences attending parties with her Father. How she dreaded those. Not only were they boring as hell, they forced her to wear clothing she wasn't entirely comfortable wearing as well as being subjected to the annoying attempts of romance from pompous men. At least Gohan wasn't like that and if they were to attend parties like that, she hoped the Ox Prince's presence would dissuade others from even trying.

Videl's mind went back to the thought about people accepting her for who she was. For the most part, the Council seemed either accepting of her or waited to see what she would be like. The only exception was Angus who seemed to hold some form of disdain for her. Videl wondered why that was. She had never met or even seen him before in her life so it was most likely nothing to do with her as a person. Perhaps her Father had angered him beforehand but from what she had heard before, the Ox King was on good terms with her Dad. Maybe that didn't extend to his council.

"Everything okay, Videl?" a feminine voice asked startling Videl.

She turned to find Lime looking at her.

"Yeah, just taking everything in." Videl said with a smile.

Lime smiled back as she sat beside the Satan girl who scooted over to give her room.

"You seem to be doing an admirable job so far." Lime said with encouragement.

Videl chuckled lightly.

"Yeah but it's my first day. Though I sorta have a bit of experience, I can only imagine how Gohan's handling things."

Lime laughed along with her.

"Yeah Chi Chi sorta kept him at Mount Paozu for the most part. I don't think he actually knows that much about Grandpa's Kingdom. He used to only visit a few times a year."

"Guess we're both new at this." Videl murmured.

"Hey, you'll do fine," Lime said reassuringly "And besides, you'll have me helping you out."

"Thanks." Videl replied with an almost playful smirk "I think Gohan might need more help though."

"I'm good but I'm not a miracle worker!" Lime quipped causing the two girls to laugh heartily.

* * *

"ACHOOO!"

Gohan sniffled, wiping his nose with his handkerchief before shoving it back in his left pocket. Was he getting sick? He never got sick due to his Saiyan heritage. Kami bless that incredibly strong immune system. He was currently sat in a room with his Grandfather who wanted to talk to him about something else. Videl, much to her joy, was allowed to leave if she wished. He gazed upon the large figure of his Grandfather who seemed to be staring outside the window, as if he were waiting for someone.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" Gohan nervously asked.

The Ox King had a serious expression on his face, almost a little unreadable. In all honesty, Gohan had never really seen his Grandpa be completely serious. He had heard stories before about him being a much sterner ruler in the past with an almost isolationist policy when it came to his kingdom. The history books used to call him a tyrant but that was mainly due to how smaller kingdoms were treated back then as well as the Ox King wishing to protect both is treasure and his people. After Chi Chi's marriage to Goku, the Ox King was a much happier and jovial person and once Gohan and later Goten was born, the Ox King regularly doted on his Grandchildren. They were his pride and joy.

After Cell had been defeated, Gohan had been quite depressed with Goku's decision to stay in Otherworld. While a part of him accepted that and knew the reasons why, he was still a young boy. A young boy who missed his Father. Even though Goku was regularly out training or on adventures, Gohan often looked forward to his Father coming home. Chi Chi during her pregnancy with Goten had been a handful and regularly had mood swings that augmented her already fiery temperament. Gohan tried his hardest to please her, doing whatever she asked and diligently completing his studies that she would often force feed him. Chi Chi often said that she wanted Gohan to grow up like a normal child but her insistence on his studies and keeping him at home honestly did the opposite, unbeknownst to the Ox Princess. Her baby boy was going to be a scholar after all.

His Grandfather knew that Gohan longed for some time to himself. Some time to be a kid, to go out and explore Mount Paozu. The Ox King would regularly visit giving the young boy some reprieve from his studies and would often go hiking or camping with Gohan. While Gohan could never get back the childhood that he missed due to studying and fighting, these trips with his Grandfather and Goten, once he was born, were some of the happiest times he had experienced in the past 7 years. Gohan loved his Grandfather and had been devastated when he learnt of his impending mortality. Which is honestly why he readily agreed to his request for Gohan to take the throne after him. Gohan would do anything for the man who helped him live just a little bit more like a normal kid.

"I will be honest, Gohan." the Ox King began "Running a kingdom is no easy feat. While there are many qualities needed that you already possess such as your compassion for people and your high level of intellect, there are some things you still need."

The Ox King noticed something in the distance through the window before walking over towards the door.

"There are many lessons you can learn from the Ox Council and they will be there to help and serve you. However, occasionally they may disagree with your opinions and may argue amongst themselves to gain your attention and to push forth their own agendas."

The Ox King opened the door as footsteps could be heard in the distance.

"I couldn't get the adviser I wanted from Central Kingdom on such short notice and so instead, I've hired someone else to teach you these things."

The footsteps came closer and closer. As they neared, Gohan could feel the Ki emanating from the figure. It was extremely familiar and as he zeroed in on it, the Ki flared a little, enough for him to know who it was.

"There will be times when you must be strict, almost ruthless in how you rule your kingdom. While Goku has taught you compassion which is very important, you cannot always be that way." the Ox King stated "As such, I've brought in someone to help tutor you in that aspect."

Gohan's eyes widened as the man stepped into the room, an aura of arrogance and pride around him as his pitch black hair defied all gravity. The figure smirked at the young Saiyan. Clearly he didn't expect him at all.

"Looks like I have my job cut out for me with you, brat." he said in an amused tone.

"Vegeta?!" Gohan yelled "What are you doing here?"

Vegeta strode over and sat down in the chair across from Gohan.

"Your Grandfather required someone with experience in ruling with strength and an iron fist. Naturally, I am the best candidate to educate a third class warrior like you, regardless of how royal your Human heritage is."

Gohan exhaled loudly. This was not at all what he expected.

"But what do you know about ruling? I thought Frieza destroyed Planet Vegeta when you were a child!" Gohan said.

"Silence, boy!" Vegeta snapped "I was still raised to rule a race. While yes, I was still a lad when Planet Vegeta was destroyed, I learnt enough from my Father and even from observing that gender confused lizard."

Gohan slumped in defeat. If Vegeta was set on this then there was almost no way Gohan could get out of it. His task now was to minimize how brutal Vegeta's teachings could be. Even if Vegeta had relaxed and become less of an asshole, he was still Vegeta.

"How did Grandpa even get you to do this? I thought you answered to no one but Bulma."

"Shut up, brat!" Vegeta yelled, a tinge of pink appearing on his cheeks at the mention of his wife "Your Grandfather is a King and as a fellow member of royalty, we treat each other with respect. When he came to me this morning with this request, he made some very valid points. You are far too soft and need to learn more about how to rule like me. Like a true Saiyan."

"Is that all?" Gohan asked.

"He also promised me a life time supply of those pork dumplings that for some reason they only make in this city."

Gohan stifled a laugh as Vegeta's eyes narrowed at the younger Saiyan. Gohan couldn't help it. Vegeta was more like his Father in that regard. Food was always the way to get on a Saiyan's good side. Gohan looked at his Grandfather who seemed a little uneasy at the exchange between the two Saiyans. Was this honestly a good idea? The door creaked open as all three men turned to see a new face peering from behind the wooden board with large blue eyes.

"Oh, sorry. I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" Videl asked.

"No," Gohan replied, standing up for some reason "Is there anything you need?"

Videl opened the door a little further to let herself in.

"Actually, I was hoping to ask if I could use Nimbus to get home?. It's starting to get pretty late and it'll take me forever to get home in my jet copter."

"Hmph!" Vegeta snorted "I'm surprised your mate hasn't learnt how to fly yet, boy."

"Hey ease up, Vegeta. She's still learning, okay?" Gohan said, defending Videl "We haven't had too much time dedicated to that."

Videl's blue eyes studied the man who was sitting down in an almost arrogant way. This was Vegeta? The very rarely seen husband of Bulma Briefs? Vegeta's dark eyes glared back, scaring the girl a little. They were black, almost the colour of charcoal, the same as Gohan's and yet didn't hold the warmth that Gohan's did. They were colder and much more intimidating. It was almost the same feeling she had when Angus had been giving her the evil eye. Still, she wanted to show him that she wasn't some weakling that wasn't easily frightened, especially by a glare like that.

"I'll be flying in the sky soon so lay off it, ya space pineapple!" she yelled back.

"SPACE PINEAPPLE?!" Vegeta yelled in disbelief "What the hell is a space pineapple?!"

The Ox King chuckled at Videl's insult as Gohan sheepishly tried to get between the arguing pair.

"Don't worry about it." Gohan said, trying to defuse the tension.

He slowly motioned Videl out of the room, gently nudging her with his hands as Vegeta stared back at the two.

"Hmph, your mate acts a little more like a Saiyan than you do, brat." Vegeta said, a little amused at the girl's spunky attitude, even if she was the daughter of that buffoon.

"Hehehe… right…" Gohan nervously said.

The two teenagers exited the room as Gohan closed the door behind them.

"So um, you don't really have to ask me to use Nimbus, you know?" Gohan said, scratching the back of his head.

"Still seems a little rude of me to just take your flying cloud without telling you about it." Videl replied "Besides, I wanted to say goodbye."

Gohan couldn't help but smile a little. He felt touched that she wanted to bid him farewell.

"So I err… I just yell out Nimbus, right?" Videl asked.

"Yeah." Gohan said with a smile "Go ahead."

"Alright. Um… Nimbus!" she shouted.

Within seconds, the golden cloud descended from the skies and halted in front of Videl. Instead of climbing onto it physically like she did before, she decided to use her Ki to hover over it, plopping herself onto its softness after a few seconds of levitating.

"You're getting better." Gohan commented with a smile.

"A little bit," Videl replied "But still not good enough."

"You'll get there with time."

Videl grinned back at him.

"You bet your ass, I will!"

Gohan's cheeks flushed a little at the mention of his posterior. Did Videl look at him that in that way? Noticing his blush rising, Videl spoke up.

"Not… not in that way, Gohan!" she said, a tone of annoyance in her voice.

"Sorry hehe."

"Alright well, I'll be heading off. See you tomorrow?" she said.

"Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay Nimbus, take me home." Videl ordered as the cloud rose up into the sky.

With a quick wave to Gohan, she was off. Gohan waved back and stared into the distance as Nimbus and Videl disappeared into the orange horizon. He then made his way back into the room where Vegeta was waiting, arms crossed over his chest.

"Took you long enough." he said grumpily "What? Couldn't stand to be apart from each other?"

Gohan's cheeks instantly flared red.

"No!" he hastily shouted "I was just saying, goodbye, okay?!"

Vegeta snorted in amusement. Kakarot's brat was way too easy to rile up.

"Fine, we should get started then." he said "Oh and Gohan?"

"Yeah?" Gohan responded.

"We're sparring at least twice a week in addition to your royal tutoring."

Gohan almost fell over at Vegeta's statement. Go figure the Saiyan Prince would add fighting or training in this somehow. With a long sigh of defeat Gohan closed the door behind them and prepared himself for whatever Vegeta had planned for him.

* * *

Two weeks had passed since Gohan and Videl began their royal lessons. Almost every day after school, the two flew to the Ox Kingdom with Videl even staying there overnight whenever they would finish at a late hour. While Videl did find a lot of the lectures boring, she did have some interest on the day to day running of a kingdom. Though she was more interested in the practical aspects of the job, she enjoyed watching Brahma, Preta, Hanwoo and even Lime working. She admired that these women weren't bogged down by gender restrictions and were in positions of power. Not only did they have important jobs but from what she had observed over the past fortnight, they were quite good at their jobs too. In fact, pretty much every member of the royal council was.

Even Angus, who Videl was starting to dislike, seemed a little impressive. Granted, listening to him drone on about the relations between other kingdoms was boring but he knew what he was talking about. If only he'd stop glaring at her with those judgemental eyes. She had asked Lime why he was like that though the Ox King's Assistant didn't really know. Angus was always a bit of a hard ass but kept mostly to himself and was pretty private outside of the royal court. Videl almost wanted to confront the Foreign Affairs minister but decided against it. It'd probably cause a lot more drama than needed. She'd just have to grit her teeth and bare it until an opportune moment. Whatever negative impressions he had about her she would prove wrong.

The other person she wanted to prove wrong was Siri, who seemed to be quite critical of the Satan girl. Well not so much prove wrong but more show up. Sure Videl wasn't a girly girl and didn't concern herself with whatever the latest fashion trends like Erasa but she still had some feminine charm to her. At least, that's what she liked to think. Sure, she was a tomboy but she wasn't exactly a butch. She was thin and slender yet quite toned. She even had a certain softness to her curves though that was mostly hidden underneath her choice in clothing. Her body wasn't something she exactly showed off unlike other girls her age. She had always told herself that the only person who could see her that body in that way was her future husband, whoever he was. Secretly she had always hoped it would be the Delivery Boy she had obsessed with for years. Who would have actually predicted it was happening. She was still coming to terms with Gohan's identity as not only the Delivery Boy grown up but the Ox Prince, her fiance and future husband. She would never admit it to anyone but once when she was 15 she had become hot and bothered by a bout of her fantasies and… gave into them. Videl prayed to Dende that he would never find out about that. Or anyone else for that matter.

Videl's cheeks began to heat up as she eyed the boy sitting in front of her, chowing down on a couple slices of pizza. She hoped no one saw her embarrass herself with her own thoughts as she sat down at lunch with her friends. She would never live it down if Erasa or Sharpner noticed but she was glad to see they were preoccupied with eating too.

"Gohan, slow down a little!" Erasa said, laughing at the speed the boy was eating his slices.

"Sowwy!" he responded with his mouth still full "It's just so gud!"

Videl laughed along with her friends at the boy. The school had decided to treat the students to several boxes of pizzas as a treat from the Principal and they were surprised to know that Gohan had never eaten pizza before. Neither Videl nor her blonde friends could believe it. Gohan Son, the human (well, half) eating machine who most likely dreamed of food every time he slept had never tasted the delight known as pizza. Clearly from how he was eating it, he liked how it tasted though Videl figured he would have liked it regardless. He just loved food.

"You know what I've been wondering?" Sharpner began.

"Hm?" Videl asked, setting down her slice of pepperoni pizza for the moment.

"Your Dad used to say that he'd only allow a guy to date you if they beat him in a fight and since Gohan's Goldilocks and all, have they actually fought? Who'd win?"

"Err…" Videl began, unsure on whether or not to be truthful.

She wondered how her two friends would take the knowledge that not only could Gohan wipe the floor with Mr. Satan with a gentle sneeze but he was the true victor of the Cell Games. Sure they had accepted him as the Gold Fighter but this was something more. This would change something they believed in for 7 years, not to mention it would show them the true level of power that not only Gohan held but also others fighters, including enemies. Luckily for her, Erasa said something to push those thoughts out of the way albeit unintentional and was meant more to tease Videl.

"I'm sure Videl doesn't want to see the two most important men in her life fighting it out!" she said with a smirk causing Videl to blush a little.

"Huh, fair enough." Sharpner simply said, moving on from his thoughts.

Class had soon ended for that day and both Videl and Gohan were ready to head back to Mt. Frypan. Trying to increase her flying ability which had steadily improved over the past 2 weeks, Videl chose not to ride Nimbus or in Gohan's arms and flew using her own power. Though she was much better than when she first started, the long trip was still a bit much for her and half way through, she had to be carried by Gohan, much to her embarrassment.

"Sorry." she mumbled sheepishly.

Gohan simply smiled at her and went on his way as the two neared the castle. The two landed in the nearby garden that overlooked the city which quickly became their favourite landing spot at the castle. As they entered the room they often sat in for their lessons, they were greeted by the sight of Siri wearing a quite lavish and extravagant dress.

"Err is there some sort of occasion?" Gohan asked as he shut the door behind them.

"Yes, there is." Siri replied.

"… Are you going to tell us?" Videl questioned.

"Yes, I will." Siri said with an almost playful grin on her face.

'Okay this is starting to get weird.' Videl thought.

"Sit down, please." Siri ordered to which the teens complied.

Once they had sat down together on the couch, the older woman handed Videl an unopened envelop with a peculiar seal on its flap. She inspected it closely. It was clearly made by dripping melted red wax onto it and pressing some sort of signet ring into the once molten liquid. The symbol now imprinted onto the wax seal was familiar to Videl. She had seen it before. In the middle was the shape of flower, with dozens of petals jutting out from the middle, forming quite a beautiful pattern. From what she remembered, this was a chrysanthemum flower. A symbol of high royalty. Surrounding the flower was two ribbons that began at the bottom of the flower and ended just above half way with the tips fluttering outwards.

"Do you recognize the seal?" Siri asked.

"No." Gohan said.

"Yes." Videl answered.

Gohan turned to face Videl, a little shocked and impressed with the girl. Then again, he didn't really know much about anything to do with the royal scene of the Earth. Siri narrowed her eyes at the boy who nervously rubbed the back of his head, muttering out a soft sorry.

"It seems, Prince Gohan has much to learn." she stated, a little bit of venom in her words "Will you please enlighten him, Miss Videl?"

"Dad showed me before just after the Cell Games when everyone was congratulating him on his victory. He told me this was the Royal Seal of the Central Kingdom. King Furry's Royal Seal."

"What does the King of the World want with us?" Gohan asked "I didn't even think anyone knew about us."

"King Furry is one of the few that were notified of your existence, Gohan. As the King of the World, he's always required to be notified when there are potential changes in royal hierarchy as well as the emergence of heirs. Not to mention, he's an old friend of your Grandfather's." Siri said.

"I see, but that still doesn't explain why he'd send us something."

"Why don't you open it and find out?"

Gohan nodded for Videl to open the letter. She gently ripped the seal off and pulled out the piece of paper that was folded neatly inside. Her eyes began to read the letter as Gohan's head hovered right above her shoulder, reading along with her.

 _To Prince Gohan and Lady Videl,_

 _You are cordially invited to attend the Annual All Hallows Eve Masquerade Ball at the Royal Palace in Central City._

 _King Furry will be most pleased if you are able to attend alongside the Ox King. He is very much looking forward to meeting you both._

 _If you have any reservations about revealing your identities this early then do not worry, there will be no media present and due to the masks you are required to wear, you do not have to divulge who you are to anyone unless you wish to._

 _You are also invited to attend a luncheon the next day with the King and the Royal Family. Accommodations will be provided, should you wish to stay with us. We highly recommend that you do as the journey to Central City can be arduous and long._

 _Hoping to see you there,_

 _The Royal Family of Central Kingdom._

As they finished reading, Videl glanced up at Siri who had an almost evil glint in her eye.

 _'Oh no…'_ Videl thought.

The way her eyes were studying Videl did NOT look good. She was almost afraid to ask what the woman was doing but a thought in the back of her mind gave her a hunch.

"So, we're going to some party?" Gohan asked.

"A party?!" Siri exclaimed, almost disgusted in Gohan's choice of words "This is no simple party! The Annual Masquerade Ball has been a tradition of All Hallows Eve for the past two and a half centuries! It is a soiree that combines the elegance of royalty with the mysteries surrounding your masks. It is an evening of frivolities, a carousal of dance and socializing with your peers. A simple party, it is not!"

 _'So, it's just a fancy party.'_ Videl mused in her mind though she would not say it out loud, lest she anger Siri.

"Do we have to dress up?" Gohan asked, almost causing Videl to facepalm.

"Of course you have to dress up! Do you think I will allow the Crown Prince of the Ox Kingdom and his Fiance to show up in a simple dress shirt and jeans?" Siri shrieked "No, no, no! You will be wearing a suit. A tuxedo perhaps. And Videl will finally show the feminine charms that she seems so desperate to hide in a beautiful dress!"

Both Gohan and Videl slumped in defeat. All Hallows Eve was next weekend so that meant they would be forced to try a bunch of different outfits in the next coming days. The thought of being constricted in such tight and uncomfortable clothing didn't sit well with them but what would they do? It wouldn't be right to decline King Furry's invitation, especially after he wanted to meet them. It was an honour not given to many.

"Now, we have much to work on." Siri began "As the name suggests, the Masquerade Ball is a dance so, yes. You will be expected to take to the ballroom floor."

The woman walked over to a nearby end table where a record player sat on which almost seemed like it was taunting the two teenagers. How was that possible for an inanimate object?

"Well? Stand up. I want to see how well you dance." Siri ordered, waving her hands up as if she could pull Gohan and Videl from their seated position.

Nervously, they both stood up and faced each other but never looking the other in the eye. For a few moments they just stood there awkwardly, desperately trying to ignore the attractive person standing in front of them.

"I figured you didn't know what to do. Very well, we have much to do." Siri said with a sigh.

She walked over and began circling the two, almost like a shark about to attack some poor baby seal.

"Now Gohan, place your right hand on the small of Videl's back and hold your left arm up. Videl, place your left hand on Gohan's shoulder and connect your right hand with his."

The two teens did as they were told, though there was much difficulty in following Siri's instructions. Sure they had been in contact with each other before and Videl had spent quite some time in Gohan's arms when they had to fly long distance but there was something a little more frightening and romantic about this position. It was clearly having an effect on the two as their cheeks were beginning to become quite red.

"Oh come on, how do you you two expect to be married with how you're acting?" Siri snorted.

The two teens snapped to attention and moved closer together at the woman's outburst. Though she wasn't entirely satisfied with their dancing position, it would have to do for now. With confident steps, Siri walked over to the record player and began to play some classical music.

"Right, now. Please demonstrate the level of dancing ability that you two possess."

What happened next was a complete mess in which Gohan managed to tangle his leg around Videl's causing her to slip over and step on his shoe when she tried to regather her footing. Gohan howled in pain, having grown to use to Videl's presence in which he'd naturally lower his Ki output around her. As Videl began to regain her equilibrium, Gohan lost his. His foot slipped onto hers, causing him to slip backwards as his right hand, still situated on the small of her back began to drag the poor girl down with him. With a loud thud, Gohan landed on his back followed by a small grunt as Videl fell on top of him. Awkwardly, Videl's gaze fell directly into Gohan's eyes. For several seconds, they just lay there, eyes battling one another in an impromptu staring contest. The teenagers' trance was broken when Siri audibly sighed.

"Lord Kami give me strength." she groaned as the two slowly got up from their rather intimate position.

Miss Siri certainly had her work cut out for her.

* * *

Author's notes:

The Royal section of this story is now in full effect! I've also gone through and fixed up a little of the past few chapters especially with punctuation and formatting. If you notice any typos or mistakes, do let me know and I can fix that up.

Vegetasniece, thanks haha I had a great time writing some of those parts. I'm glad you found them hilarious too.

Reactef, I'm glad you consider my story unique. While there are some elements that are pretty common in GhVi fanfiction, I'm glad you think there's enough to separate my story from others.

Ultranx, ah that explains it a lot more. Now that I think on it, 1 wish was used on bringing Cell's victims back and the 2nd wish was when Krillin wished the bombs from the Androids away. I should have remembered that! Thanks for reminding me.

cc6512, thank you for enjoying reading it! I'm glad you like the friendship between Gohan and Sharpner. I find he's too often shoehorned into a rival role and sometimes is made out to be a complete asshole. Now while that does work if the story calls for it, I did want to have him in a better light and to be that "bro" to Gohan. I'm happy that you're still enjoying this even if you aren't into the whole prince/princess arranged marriage stuff.

Upgrade Guest, yea I've gone back and familiarized myself with that part of the story again so hopefully I don't forget anything important like that again but do let me know if I do! To be honest, I'm not sure I like the idea of wishing for people to have those traits. Wishing for all humans to basically become Cell might not be a bad idea since it's not always in our nature to use our gifts for good. There would definitely be a few bad eggs that would abuse that and it'd cause a lot more of a mess than it would be worth. I don't think the Z Fighters would be keen on that idea and at least it won't be something entertained in my story however it does make for an interesting plotline for another story. Maybe you could write it if you're up to it?

Tactician, well you sorta found out a little in this chapter. Vegeta's mellowed out quite a bit in this story and he's probably more closer to his DBS personality than he would be in DBZ. I think his family has done a lot in that regard. You do make an interesting point about the super soldier serums. There might be something related to that. ;)

iMysticalDBZ, thanks for reading as always. Make sure you do what you gotta do first! Real life should always be your first priority. I won't be mad if it takes you a while longer to read my updates.

As always, thanks to everyone that's read, favourited, followed and left a review. If you want to let me know your thoughts, don't hesitate to write a review. It always makes my day reading what you guys have to say. Don't be afraid to let me know what you didn't like and do let me know what you did like! It tells me what my readers want to read. Til next time!


	18. Chapter 18 - The Masquerade Ball

**Chapter 18: The Masquerade Ball**

Inside a dimly lit cave, a solitary figure sat, deep in meditation. A soft gust of wind blew into the dark hollow, dislodging dust from the rocky walls. Ever slowly, the floating particles drifted towards the young man before being blown away gently by the vibrations of his invisible Ki. It had been the first time that Gohan had any free time in the afternoons which normally consisted of him either learning more about his Royal duties, training Videl in Ki control and flight or doing homework. The Masquerade Ball was in three days and Videl had accidentally let slip during a conversation at lunch that she needed to, in her words, "be forced to be one of those stupid toy dolls for a night". Naturally, Erasa had managed to persuade (via pestering the poor girl) Videl to help assist in dress shopping when Videl needed to that afternoon with Siri who seemed to be keen on the idea of Videl having another feminine influence.

Gohan had been sitting inside the cave for almost three hours meditating and attempting to commune with whatever spirit energy was present. While he welcomed the break in his life and quite enjoyed the peace and quiet, he had yet to sense anything more than the faint energy pulsating through the cave. It hadn't rejected him yet like what had happened with Vegeta but he wasn't getting anywhere so far. But it was nice for a break from everything. Gohan had always enjoyed meditation but the busyness of his life the past few weeks had begun to tire him out a little causing his mind to be a little bit scattered. He was glad that earlier in the week he had found a simple charcoal suit that wasn't too flamboyant though he wasn't a huge fan of how constricting the blazer could be around his shoulders. What Gohan didn't really understand was why a girl's choice in dress would be a much harder decision though to be fair, it was Videl and she seemed to be very particular in what she would wear. When Erasa had overheard that Videl would be wearing a dress, she highly stressed the fact that Gohan's tie had to match whatever monstrosity (in Videl's words) they would force onto her for that evening.

Deciding that he wasn't get anywhere with the mysterious energy signature for today, Gohan began to make his way out of the dank cave, taking one last breath as the setting sun gently warmed his face before taking off, flying home where a wonderful home-cooked meal surely waited for him.

* * *

The school bell had just rung to signify school ending for the week as dozens of teenagers stampeded out of the building, eager to make the most of the weekend. Videl made her way outside, walking towards the nearby car park with her three friends. The Masquerade Ball was tomorrow evening so Videl would need to drop by her home in Satan City to pack some essentials and spare clothing as well as the indigo blue dress she had begrudgingly chosen to don for the event. While Erasa and Siri had preferred she wear a much flashier number, Videl preferred the simpler designs and the two relented when she insisted on the blue dress. At least she was going to actually wear it.

"We'll see you guys on Monday!" Erasa called out as she hopped into the front seat of Sharpner's hovercar.

"Sure thing, take care!" Videl answered.

"Oh and Videl?"

"Yeah?"

"Do give me all the romantic details." Erasa winked.

Videl angrily threw the empty bottle of water she had been holding in her hand at her best friend which bounced off the car door and onto a nearby patch of grass.

"Hey hey hey! Watch the whip!" Sharpner moaned as Gohan walked over to pick up the discarded bottle.

He gave the blonde man an apologetic smile before throwing the plastic into a nearby trashcan.

"Control your woman, Gohan!" Sharpner yelled as he started the car.

"I'll control you!" Videl yelled back.

"You know what? For that, you better find me a primo babe at your stupid ball!" Sharpner shouted as the hovercar took off.

"Later lovebirds!" Erasa waved.

"I hate those two…" Videl grumbled.

Gohan simply smiled at her though he was embarrassed on the inside. He just tried to keep it in. Videl pulled out a capsule from her pocket and threw it on the ground, decapsulizing her jetcopter. She quickly jumped into the driver's seat as Gohan gently plopped himself in the seat beside her. While the two could have easily flown to the Satan Mansion by themselves, they had made their way outside to the front instead of heading to the roof like they normally did. They could always just fly to Mt. Frypan on their own later. The two were silent, enjoying the peacefulness they had grown accustomed to with each other whenever they were alone. A few minutes later they had arrived as Videl set the jet down on the driveway.

"I won't be long," Videl said as the two entered the main foyer. "Feel free to head down to the kitchen to grab something to eat. I know you're feeling peckish right now."

"Hehe maybe…" Gohan grinned, rubbing the back of his head.

"Figured, it's down that hallway, third door on the left."

With a nod, Gohan walked off to find something to eat as Videl climbed the stairs towards her room to begin packing. As Gohan entered the kitchen, he noticed the maid Janice, drying some freshly washed dishes with a tea towel. Her hazel eyes turned towards him as she heard footsteps.

"Ah, Master Gohan. Accompanying Miss Videl again?" the older woman asked.

"Yeah she's just gone to pack." Gohan replied "Do you mind if I have something to eat?"

"Not at all, Mr. Satan was quite adamant that you were to be treated as if you were a member of this household."

"Err, thanks." Gohan said awkwardly as he sat down at .

Janice had meanwhile had begun to heat up a bowl of Cioppino and toasted several pieces of bread. The strong aroma of the stew began to waft through the air, straight to the nostrils of the Saiyan who began to drool a little. Mr. Satan definitely had a good cook at home.

"So…" Janice began as she was waiting for the stew to heat up "You're to be Miss Videl's husband, huh?"

"Uh… yeah, I suppose so." he replied nervously.

Was the maid going to interrogate him? Her eyes began to study the teen as she had her hand on her chin, almost stroking it in thought.

"Hm, I can see why she likes you." she said, an almost wry smile on her aged face.

Gohan's sweat dropped a little. Did Videl talk to her maid about him? And if so, what did she say. Did she admit that she liked Gohan? While yes, they were to be engaged, he didn't really think she liked him that way. Though admittedly, she was a lot more comfortable with him (when they weren't being forced to do couple related things) and basically spent the majority of her days with him, he didn't think she actually had feelings for him. Sure, he found out she had a crush on the Delivery Boy but did that really extend to him? Who he really was?

"Thanks, I guess." he managed to stammer out as another person made their way into the kitchen.

"Oh Gohan! I didn't know you were here!" bellowed the gruff voice of Hercule Satan.

"Good to see you, Mr. Satan." Gohan said with a smile.

Hercule sat himself down on the seat adjacent to Gohan as Janice placed a bowl of Cioppino and several bread sticks on a second plate. Gohan eagerly began to devour the food, savouring each bite as he mopped up some of the liquid with the crusty bread.

"How's everything at the Ox Kingdom?" Mr. Satan asked, taking a sip of the glass of water he had been given.

"It's okay." Gohan replied between chewing "Just talking it one step at a time."

"I see, how are you and Videl?"

Gohan almost choked a little on his food as Hercule looked at him with nervous eyes. While the two never really had a conversation more than 'hello' and 'goodbye', they had always kept an air of respect between them. Mr. Satan had never really asked about anything personal, least of all the growing relationship between Gohan and his Daughter.

"We're ah, we're good." Gohan nervously replied "Just focusing on our lessons."

"I see."

Silence filled the room again as Gohan continued to eat, albeit at a much slower pace than he normally would. In all honesty, it was starting to get quite awkward with Gohan eating, Hercule sitting quietly, mulling over a glass of water and the old maid Janice finishing washing up. As he mopped up the last bit of stew with a piece of bread, he felt the familiar Ki of Videl approaching.

"I think I've packed enough." she said, walking over beside Gohan "Are you done eating?"

"Yeah." Gohan replied, shoving the last bit of saucy bread into his mouth.

He couldn't help but notice that Videl seemed to be ignoring her Father has Hercule's eyes seemed to be focusing on his glass of water. So Videl still wasn't really talking to him. Deciding that leaving would be better than awkward silence, Gohan picked up his bag from the ground.

"We should be heading off." he said "I'll see you later, Mr. Satan, Janice."

"Wait!" Hercule suddenly called out, stopping the two teens in their tracks "Will you uh, will you be home this weekend, Sweetpea?"

Videl didn't turn to answer him, instead keeping her face away from his.

"No, I'll be in Central City with Gohan for the weekend." she plainly stated before dragging her fiancé out of the room.

Mr. Satan simply slumped back into his chair. So she was still a little mad at him. The two teens made their way out of the mansion and began to levitate in the sky. While Videl had managed to fly longer distances without tiring, she still wasn't at the speed that the others could fly at. Still, at least she didn't have to be carried by Gohan any longer, even if their journeys would take a little bit longer.

"Videl…" Gohan began.

"What is it?"

"Your Dad… you're still not really talking to him, are you?"

Videl sighed. So Gohan could tell that for the most part, Videl ignored her Dad. Sure, she barely spent time at home nowadays with the constant travelling to the Ox Kingdom but during the rare times she stayed home in Satan City, she mostly kept to her room.

"I still haven't forgiven him for lying to me." she said with an exhale of breath "I know the reasons why were noble but, he still should have told me."

Gohan weakly smiled at her and grasped her hand in his causing Videl to lose concentration with flying for just a moment. He squeezed it a little tighter as she desperately tried to fight off an oncoming blush.

"I know it's hard for you but, you should forgive him." he said "Or at least, talk it out with him. It'll do you some good."

"I don't know, Gohan…" Videl replied "It's going to be awkward."

"I suppose. But the longer you go on ignoring him, the longer it'll hurt the both of you. He's your Dad. You two shouldn't be like this."

"I… fine. I'll talk to him when we get back if it'll get you off my case." Videl grunted.

"Sure thing. Do you want me to go with you when you do?" Gohan asked.

"I'd like that."

* * *

Videl groggily awoke the next morning as the sun peered into the blue curtains that lead to the room's balcony. She wished she could sleep in some more as they had gone to bed quite late last night. Siri had been most insistent on the two having some last minute dance practice. While they were no longer falling over one another and had improved quite a bit they were still not at the level that the woman wished them to be but with no time left to spend on learning, she supposed it would have to do. It wasn't the actual movements in the dances that were hard but more working together with Gohan to form a cohesive unit. As they say, it takes two to tango. After taking a quick shower, Videl dressed herself in a plain pair of jeans and a white and purple baseball shirt. Hopefully Siri wouldn't get too mad about her choice in travelling attire.

"Videl, are you awake?" a voice called with three knocks on the door.

"Yeah, you can come in." Videl called back.

The door opened and in walked Lime, dressed in a simple button up shirt and trousers.

"Hey, we're just packing all our luggage on the airbus, you got your stuff?" she asked.

"Yeah it's there by the dresser." Videl replied, pointing to a black duffle bag.

Lime proceeded to motion a guard in to grab Videl's bag before exiting the room.

"Oh by the way, your man is still asleep," Lime said with a smirk "Go wake him up."

"He's not my… Lime!" Videl yelled as the girl exited the room, still giggling.

Videl paused for a moment, eyeing the empty space that Lime had previously occupied. Was Gohan really her man? Sure, they were 'engaged' and to be married within the year but did they really have romantic feelings for each other? Videl did have a long standing crush on the Delivery Boy that she thought she was getting over but clearly she wasn't. And sure, he was handsome, smart, kind and strong. Any girl would probably kill to be with him. But did Videl think of him that way? Yeah she had a soft spot for him but was she actually having genuine feelings for him?

She soon found her way at the door to Gohan's room. Gently she opened the door, the hinges slightly creaking. Sure enough, Gohan Son was snoring softly, the covers barely covering the sleeping Saiyan. Videl felt a trickle of blood drip down her nose as she noticed Gohan slept in his boxers. Only his boxers. As she drew closer to the bed, her eyes began to wander over the young man's toned body. Her vision traced down every contour, from his chiselled chest down to his sixteen pack (Videl counted but kept messing up), down to his…

 _'AHHHH DON'T EVEN LOOK THERE'_ Videl mentally screamed.

Running over to the nearby wardrobe, Videl grabbed Gohan's packed bag and threw it at him, hitting him squarely in the chest. She blinked. He didn't budge. In fact, the bag was sitting neatly on his stiff chest, almost mocking her attempt to wake the sleeping Saiyan.

"Unbelievable…" she muttered.

Deciding to woman up and just get it over with, she walked up to him and placed her hands onto his shoulders. Sweet kami they were firm. She gripped them tighter and began to softly shake the sleeping Gohan.

"Mmm…" he groaned.

"Goddamnit…" Videl swore.

She nudged the bag aside and sat down on the edge of the bed. Gripping him again, she shook him, this time a lot stronger than last time. All of a sudden, she felt herself being flipped onto her back as Gohan's larger figure hovered above her. His eyes suddenly went wide as he noticed who was underneath him.

"Videl! Uh… err.. sorry," he apologized "Reflex action."

'Reflex action?!' Videl thought 'I threw a bloody bag at you and you didn't even move!'

"Don't worry about it." she said "But could you um, get off me?"

"Oh, sorry!" he apologized again, jolting up.

Videl got up as well, trying her best not to check out the half-naked Saiyan standing beside her.

"Go get changed and bring your bag down, Lime is waiting."

As quickly as she could, she bolted out of the room, making sure not to look back as Gohan closed the door behind her.

Fifteen minutes later, Videl sat on an outdoor bench, waiting for her late fiancé who sure was taking his time. The Ox King, Lime and Siri were all waiting as well as well as two castle guards that were to accompany them on the trip. Videl didn't really know why they needed bodyguards. Surely she and Gohan were enough, not to mention the Ox King she had learnt was also a student of the great Turtle Hermit. But she supposed it was needed to keep up appearances.

"Sorry I'm late!" the voice of Gohan called as he descended the steps.

"It's fine, Gohan." the Ox King said with a smile "I'm actually waiting on Angus who should be here soon."

"Angus? What do you need him for?" Videl asked.

She didn't particularly want to come in contact with that man any more than needed. He was still constantly shooting daggers at her with his eyes and she couldn't tell why.

"Since myself, Lime and you two will be in Central City for the weekend, we still need someone in charge at the castle."

"Fair enough."

Sure enough, Angus had arrived at the castle gates, accompanied by a young woman.

 _'Who is that?'_ Videl wondered as her eyes squinted to see her better.

As Angus and the woman got closer Videl could see that she was fairly young, probably around their age. She had shoulder length brown hair that was slightly wavy and flickered at the ends, resting just above her slender torso. From what Videl could see, this girl was incredibly pretty.

"Ah there you, Angus!" the Ox King said "And who might this young lady be?"

"My King, may I present my youngest daughter, Sanga." Angus replied "I've brought her with me so she can understand some of the things that I do for our kingdom."

The girl bowed her head politely before glancing at Gohan, her green eyes studying the young Saiyan. Videl couldn't help but feel a little bit annoyed at the looks Sanga was giving Gohan.

"I am honoured to meet you, my king." Sanga said respectfully.

"The honour is mine!" the man replied "Let me introduce my heir Prince Gohan and his fiancé Videl."

The two politely bowed and Videl couldn't help but notice that Sanga was giving Gohan more attention than she was Videl. Well it was understandable. Gohan could be considered quite the catch. He was tall, dark and handsome and was a Prince to boot. But Videl couldn't help but feel a little bit perturbed at Angus' daughter. Was this… jealousy?

"My daughter is the same age as Prince Gohan." said man stated "Perhaps one day she might succeed my position and work closely with him."

"Sounds good." Gohan said, almost nonchalantly as he shook the girl's hand.

Sanga gave him an almost flirty smile that was missed by Gohan. Her hands seemed to linger on his for a moment. A moment too long in Videl's mind before Sanga finally let go.

"I look forward to working with you, if that is the case." she said, her eyes almost mentally devouring the Prince.

A slight twinge began to throb in the back of Videl's neck as her eyebrows began to twitch in annoyance. Why was this girl acting like that to Gohan? Her Gohan of all people! Videl mentally slapped herself for thinking that last thought. There was no way that she, Videl Satan, was being jealous. Maybe a little overprotective and slightly possessive. But definitely not jealous! A distance away from her, Lime could notice the annoyed expression on the future Queen's face, compared to the almost smug look on Angus. She now understood why Angus didn't like Videl. Oh it was so obvious now. She began to consider if she should let Videl know.

"Well, we should be off." the Ox King said before anything more could happen "I'll leave the Kingdom in your capable hands, Angus."

Angus bowed politely with Sanga following suit as everyone else boarded the royal air bus. Videl grumpily sat down beside Gohan, almost a little too close for his liking. She turned her head to make sure Sanga would notice.

"Do you mind if I sleep for a bit?" she asked, trying her best to seem flirtatious.

"Err, no not at all." Gohan replied, wondering why Videl was asking something like that.

He then suddenly felt the weight of her head resting on his shoulder as she closed her eyes. Within an instant, his face began to flare red at the girl's sudden desire for skinship. In the seats beside them Gohan could see the snickering expression on Lime's face. She winked at him and made a wrapping motion with her arms, as if she were telling him to move his arm around Videl's shoulders.

"Go away" Gohan mouthed as the girl continued to laugh.

* * *

The flight to Central City was rather long and boring. Videl had managed to fall asleep for half of it, using Gohan's shoulder as a pillow before slumber would no longer take her. The Ox King was seated near the front of the airbus, reading a historical novel as Lime was typing away on her laptop, no doubt doing some work of royal importance. Videl's eyes wandered to the boy sitting beside her. He too was reading a book. She peered over to see what it was about. To no surprise, it was some science book, describing several theories in detail.

 _'Still such a nerd'_ she laughed.

She didn't know why but her thoughts drifted towards the girl from before, Sanga. Would Sanga still be flirtatious with Gohan if she knew how nerdy he could be? Videl grit her teeth at the thought. Yes Gohan was admittedly extremely attractive but his personality could sometimes be a turn off for some girls. At least that's what she thought. Most girls her age didn't really like the nerdy ones yet Gohan seemed to be an exception. Still, no matter how good looking he was, he deserved to find someone that liked, no loved him for who he was. Not just because he's a complete stud once you get pass his nerdy tendencies, not just because he's a Prince and not just because secretly you had a crush on him growing up because he was a brave young man.

 _'Damn it.'_ Videl cursed.

She turned to Gohan who was still reading before looking out the window. They were over the central deserts now so that meant it'd be another hour and a half at least til they arrived. At least that's what Videl remembered from the last time she travelled to Central City. Damn their need to travel via conventional means.

"Hey Gohan, do you mind if I go sit by Lime for a bit?" Videl suddenly asked.

"Hm? Oh sure go right ahead." Gohan replied, before motioning to remove his seatbelt to stand up.

"Don't worry about moving, I'll just squeeze through." Videl said, pushing Gohan back down into his seat.

She got up and began to move through the narrow space between Gohan's legs and the seat in front of him. Gohan, who tried desperately to keep his eyes on the book couldn't help but notice something about Videl. Her shirt had ridden up a little above her jeans as the denim fabric clung tightly to her behind. He couldn't help it but it was a lot rounder than he first thought. Quickly tearing his face away before the girl noticed, he continued to read albeit in a distracted way as Videl plopped herself down on the empty seat beside Lime.

"What's up?" Lime asked as she closed her laptop.

"I wanted to talk." Videl said, almost in a whisper.

"Uh alright?" Lime whispered back "Why are we being quiet?"

"Cause I don't want…" Videl began before stopping at a thought.

She pulled out her phone and sent Lime a message.

 _'Does Gohan have super hearing due to being a Saiyan?'_

Lime, deciding to play along, responded.

 _'Yeah, I think so. At least it's enhanced.'_

 _'Damn alright, I'll tell you later when he's away.'_

 _'Sure thing.'_

Luckily for the bored occupants of the flying vehicle, Central City soon came into view as time quickly passed. It was much grander than the city below Mt. Frypan yet wasn't as technologically advanced as West or Satan City. Dozens of older buildings dotted the expanse with the Royal Palace standing proudly in the center, nestled on the raised surface of a large hill. As the airbus descended closer, Videl couldn't help but notice the grand splendour of the building. The main section was a large dome as was the architectural style of the Central Region, with a large spire protruding from its center. Attached to the main dome were several smaller ones, coloured magenta, also with tall towers extending high above the done. Situated between the towers was a stretched out hall, bordered by luscious gardens unlike the ones that could be found at Mt. Frypan. It was a palace fit for the King of the World.

They had soon landed in an area designated for aircraft as a trio of people walked up to the now parked airbus, flanked by a set of guards on each side. The two Ox Guards were the first to disembark followed by the Ox King, Lime, Siri, Videl and finally Gohan.

"Welcome Ox King," the figure in the middle greeted with a polite bow "My name is Terry Yer, one of the attendants to King Furry."

"Thank you, we're glad to be here." the Ox King's deep voice replied.

"The King is currently busy with preparations for tonight's Ball but has instructed me to take you and your retinue to your living quarters during your stay with us."

"That would be much appreciated."

Gohan and Videl followed behind as the group traversed through several hallways before reaching an atrium. Natural lighting shone through the center of the room via a skylight and several beautiful carved stone pillars held up the impressive ceiling. Videl couldn't help but be amazed at the architecture. She couldn't help but notice there were only four doors connected to the atrium, not counting the one they had walked in through as well as an open one at the end of the room leading to a balcony.

"On the left is a simple quarters for your guards," Terry Yer began to say "The first door beyond that is your room, Ox King. I hope you find it to your liking."

He made his way to the other side of the room where two more doors stood.

"Across from your room is a room with two beds for your two attendants." Terry said motioning to Siri and Lime who seemed annoyed at the rooming arrangement "And this room, finally, is for Prince Gohan and Lady Videl."

Both teens froze. They were going to have to share a room with each other? They hoped to Dende that there were at least two beds in there. The others began to walk into their allocated rooms as Gohan opened the door to theirs. He stopped in his tracks. Videl, who had been standing behind him couldn't see due to his broad shoulders.

"What is it?" she queried, trying to step onto her tippy toes to peer over his tall body.

 _'Damn his height'_ she cursed.

"There's um… there's only one…" Gohan mumbled.

"Only one?" Videl asked "Only one of wha-"

She froze as Gohan walked in, finally gaining a full view of the room. It was grand indeed, a room fit for royalty. The rich would pay top Zeni to stay in a place like this. There was two doors on the far end of the room, one leading to a closed room which Videl assumed was a bathroom, the other leading to an open balcony. Then her eyes drifted to the largest object in the room. Placed against a feature wall was a large bed, with several frilled pillows covered by a black duvet, trimmed with shimmering gold. It was an amazing looking bed and in all honesty looked quite comfortable. The only problem was, there was only one.

They would have to share.

Videl quickly scanned the room to see if there was a couch that either she or Gohan could use. Part of her hoped there would be so she could kick him out of the bed and make him sleep on the couch. Or maybe she should be the one taking the couch. He was royalty after all. Much to her disappointment, there was only two arm chairs, neither big enough for one to sleep comfortably in.

"I can sleep on the ground, if you'd like." Gohan simply stated, as he began placing his belongings in the nearby wardrobe.

"I… no that would be rude of me." Videl replied.

"What do you mean?" Gohan asked "It's not a big deal."

"It is!" Videl retorted "It is if I go and make a Prince sleep on the ground. I'm not royalty, Gohan."

"I guess. At least not yet." Gohan responded before noticing what he had just said.

The teens both grew an instant blush on their face.

"Look," Videl began "It's only one night and it's a pretty huge bed. I think we can both sleep on it far away enough from each other."

Gohan resigned himself as he sat down on the mattress.

 _'Aw man,'_ he thought as he felt the softness below him ' _It's really comfortable too.'_

"Fine fine." he said "It's just one night, right?"

* * *

Videl sat awkwardly in a chair, dressed in a maroon dressing gown as a figure hovered above her face, studying it intently. Gohan had gone to get ready with his Grandfather as they were attended by Siri who insisted on the young Prince's appearance needing to meet her standards. She was about to assign several of the Central Kingdom's maids to attend Videl who vehemently refused, instead she insisted on having Lime get ready with her. Lime at least was more likely to adhere to Videl's requests and not throw make up on her that would look like a clown, in Videl's words. She was not one for makeup but if it were minimal, she could at least live with that.

Lime had begun by applying a primer onto Videl's face. The Satan girl wondered what in the HFIL a primer was. But Lime knew more than her and she had informed the girl that it'd help make her make up look less cakey.

 _'Well that's alright, I guess.'_ Videl pondered _'I don't want anyone to put candles on my face and blow for a wish.'_

Lime continued working away on Videl's face, though she had no need to fill Videl's eyebrows as they were full enough and instead applied foundation. Videl began to count the steps of Lime's progress. There were way too many damn steps! Concealer, Eye Shadow, Eyeliner, a Blush. Though Lime had reassured her that the makeup she was applying wasn't overly flashy and quite minimal, Videl still wondered if it actually looked alright or if she looked like a freak. Not to mention she probably didn't need a blush with the constant redness her face was getting around Gohan. Damn that boy.

"Last step!" Lime stated much to Videl's joy.

Lime pulled out some red lipstick, slowly twisting it out at the base. Videl's eyes widened. That shade was a lot more red than she thought.

"Err, Lime?" Videl asked before the girl could plaster it on her lips "Isn't that a bit much?"

"Nah it's fine." Lime said, waving her off "You want to look good for Gohan, right?"

"But we're going to be wearing masks!" Videl said, almost in a yell.

"Well, true. But the masks you guys have aren't even full ones so your lips will be seen."

"Ugh, fine." Videl said as the girl happily began to apply lipstick on Videl's full lips.

 _'I thought you were cool, Lime!'_ Videl mentally cried, almost laughing at the thought _'But you're just like Erasa!'_

"There! All done!" Lime announced, resting her hands on her hips as she admired her handiwork.

"Do I look okay?" Videl hesitantly asked.

"Well," Lime started to say as the dark haired girl sat there in anticipation "Once we get you into that dress, Gohan will be blown away."

Videl blushed lightly before making a joke, attempting to see the situation in a light hearted tone.

"I guess that's good. At least it's a different kind of blown away than he's used to."

"So…" Lime began to say as she sat down in the other chair "What did you want to talk to me about earlier?"

Videl paused for a moment, contemplating whether or not to admit to what she felt earlier. No, she'd probably never hear the end of it from Lime if she completely admitted to it. But she needed to let Lime know her suspicions. Or at least, what it seemed like.

"It's about Angus and… well, his daughter." she said.

"Oh?" Lime asked with a raised eyebrow "What about them?"

"I think I know why he doesn't like me very much."

Lime looked at the Satan girl. So it seemed it was obvious to her as well. But definitely not Gohan. Boy, that Saiyan could be oblivious at the best of times.

"I think I know too." she replied.

"So you noticed too, huh?"

"I look forward to working with you!" Lime said in her best impression of Angus' daughter "Yeah, I noticed."

Videl couldn't help but burst out in a laugh. If anything, Lime's impression was spot on. But then she noticed the look Lime was giving her.

"Err… what?" Videl asked.

"Oh nothing." Lime said "I did also notice the way you were glaring at her when she touched his hand."

Videl sputtered and almost fell out of her seat.

"No! I err… what… no!"

"Hehe, the last time I saw someone glare at someone like that, I ate one of Chi Chi's meat balls that Gohan was eyeing." Lime laughed.

"Oh Kami…" Videl said in reaction.

If there was anything Gohan was protective of, it was his food. Was this even a valid comparison?

"I'm surprised he didn't just blow you up!"

Lime laughed and waved her off.

"Nah, I mean probably. Besides…" she continued "At least it was only food and not trying to steal someone else's man."

"Shut up…" Videl said, extremely quietly.

She didn't want it to seem like she was jealous. But Lime could see through that façade. Honestly, anyone could. It was pretty obvious.

"So what are you going to do about it?" Lime asked.

"Do I have to do something about it?"

Lime snorted. Though both Videl and Gohan would deny it, there was an undeniable attraction that had been growing between the two. And not to mention their upcoming wedding was already in the making. You'd have to do something incredibly out of this world to dissuade Chi Chi from it. If Angus really wanted to insert his daughter in the mix, he certainly had his work cut out for him.

"Probably not," Lime replied "But I'd suggest marking your territory."

"What, like a dog?" Videl snorted.

"Maybe. Maybe not. You don't want bimbos trying to get with him, do you?"

Videl thought for a moment. That was true but how would she go about it? She had zero experience with things like this and it was telling.

"No, no I don't. So you want me to make it look like he's off the market?" she said before quickly adding "Purely to protect him from gold diggers!"

Lime snickered a little. Videl was in such denial. Gohan WAS off the market.

"Sure, let's go with that." Lime replied.

"Alright." Videl said "But how do I do that?"

* * *

It was nearing sunset and the Ball would start in just under an hour. Gohan stood outside on the balcony just outside the atrium, leaning against the railing. On a nearby table sat two matching masquerade style masks. They were both black, bordered by silver trimmings. They weren't overtly ornate, quite simple compared to the other options Gohan had been given but he was happy with these two. They were simple enough that both he and Videl would be comfortable wearing them. He had wanted to give it to her earlier after he had finished getting ready but Lime had refused to let him in as she wasn't done getting ready. Why did girls take that long? So for now, he relaxed on the balcony, decked out in his charcoal suit.

"Why is this so constricting?" he grumbled in annoyance as he adjusted the indigo tie he had been given.

It was way too tight around his neck but Siri had insisted it needed to be. He had wanted to remove it and go without it but the woman had chewed his ear out for even considering it. Not to mention that it was supposed to be matching Videl's dress. Surely with his tie matching her attire as well as the two masks, people would assume that they were a couple. Kami, he was not ready for the world to know he was engaged to Videl Satan. It wasn't that he was ashamed of her. No, he enjoyed her company and in all honesty, found her to be an amazing and driven young woman. Not to mention he thought she was extremely beautiful.

"Gohan!" a voice called out to him from inside.

He turned around slowly. Having spent almost every day of the last two months with her, he could recognize who it belonged to anywhere. His eyes widened, taking in the vision in front of him. It was like an angel had descended from the heavens and graced him with her presence. Alright, maybe not that cheesy but Gohan was dumb struck.

"Is… is it okay?" Videl cautiously asked.

"Uh…" Gohan droned, unable to piece together a coherent sentence.

"That bad, huh?" she said, almost disappointed in his response.

"No!" he managed to say, shaking himself out of his trance "No I mean, you look great!"

She smiled weakly at him.

"I feel ridiculous." she said, slightly twirling the dress around her ankles.

Gohan's eyes studied her, inspecting the vision of beauty in front of him. This was what Videl Satan looked like all dolled up? Sure, her dress and makeup wasn't extremely fancy or overdone and yes, she was already beautiful to him the way she was but seeing her like this. This was a lot different from the tomboy her had grown to know. Her dress indeed matched his indigo tie, which seemed to match her sapphire eyes perfectly. The dress wasn't extremely low cut, with the straps resting just below the point of her shoulders and clung gently to her soft curves. Her ebony hair was out of her trademark twin tails, draped onto her milky skin. There was a slight hint of cleavage that Gohan could see. He hoped to Dende that she didn't notice his eyes wandering there.

"He-here." he stammered, handing Videl her mask.

She inspected it, fiddling with the blue ribbons attached to it before handing it back to him.

"Do you mind?" she asked expectantly, turning herself around.

"Oh!" Gohan blurted out, figuring out what she wanted.

He placed it gently against her face as she held it in place for him to tie it. His breath was hitched. Her neck looked so slender, her skin soft as her shoulder blades slightly peaked out from above the blue fabric. Mustering all of his strength, he managed to tie the ribbons into a knot. Videl adjusted it for a moment so that it was comfortable. When she was satisfied that it wouldn't accidentally untie itself she turned to face Gohan.

"Your turn." she said, motioning him to face away from her.

He complied as she collected his mask and gingerly placed it on her face. Videl began to thank whoever was watching her from above when he turned around. It might not have been apparent at first glance but she was having the same issue that Gohan was facing just prior. He just looked so damn handsome in his suit and it was starting to get to her. Luckily enough for her, his face was hidden behind his height. She began to do what he had done for her but there was one problem. He was a lot taller than she was. She had always cursed her small stature, just pushing 155cm. Gohan was at least 40cm taller than her.

 _'Damn it!'_ she swore.

It was always the little things about being short that irked her. Pun intended.

"Can you bend down a little bit?" she asked.

"Huh? Oh, yeah sure." Gohan said, complying with her request.

She silently thanked him for not making any short jokes as she tied the mask around his face, a little bit tighter than he had with hers.

"Thanks." he said as he stood back up.

The two stood here awkwardly for a moment as a gentle breeze blew against their bodies, softly rustling their outfits.

"Where's everyone else?" Videl asked, breaking the silence.

"Grandpa and Siri went down already, wanted to inspect the ballroom." Gohan replied "Where's Lime?"

"Still getting ready, she said she'd catch up." Videl replied.

What happened next caught Gohan off guard. Videl stood beside him, gently grasping his forearm with her soft, delicate fingers. He glanced down at her, a blush creeping up his neck as he did. She didn't face him, keeping her gaze forward. He could tell that she was trying to get comfortable with this whole situation. Silently, he smiled, understanding what she was doing. They were engaged after all and they had to look the part.

"Shall we go?" she asked.

"Lead the way." he replied with a smile.

The two lovebirds (in Erasa's and Lime's words) made their way down through the halls where they were told they could enter through. The Masquerade Ball was to be held in the Great Hall of the Central Palace. A large archway made of marble stood proudly as the entrance to the Great Hall; a few figures stood beneath it, beside a mahogany desk and were flanked by several Central Kingdom guards. Their armour was quite grand, with several adornments decorating the golden metal plates. There was a circular badge embedded on the right side of their chests, a golden one bordered by a red circle and large red letters: KC. Flowing behind each of them was a crimson cape that hung down to their knees. Videl assumed that the armour was ceremonial and purely for show. While it did look pretty protective, it'd be fairly useless against firearms not to mention it looked extremely clunky and hard to manoeuvre in. The chest plates particularly looked constricting, a little like the dress she was forced to wear. At least Gohan seemed to think she looked okay.

"Welcome!" the woman that was standing closest to the desk said, greeting them "May I have your invitation, please?"

Gohan detached his arm from Videl's grasp and began to fumble around inside the pocket of his jacket. He soon pulled out a folded piece of paper that Videl recognized as the letter they had received last week. The woman inspected it before handing it back to them with a smile.

"Thank you and welcome to the Annual Hallows Eve Masquerade Ball. We hope you enjoy yourself tonight." she said "Before I let you in, there are a few rules that King Furry has instructed me to relate to all our guests. You are welcome to explore the majority of the castle grounds from the residential wing to the hedge garden just outside of the Great Hall. The King's Tower and adjacent buildings however are off limits."

"Right, we'll be sure to avoid them." Videl answered.

"Do enjoy your evening."

The woman bowed politely as Gohan and Videl entered the Great Hall, which seemed to be an understatement of a name. It was a Spectacular Hall! The actual room itself was massive, at least the double the size of a typical high school auditorium. There were separate levels with terraces on the walls supported by ornate marble columns. The ceiling was majestic, with floral patterns of gold and silver littering the white stone. Throughout the central beam supporting the sealing was a multitude of chandeliers made of shimmering white crystal. The floors were not to be overlooked either. They were made of wood, a break from the white stone that dominated the room. The wood was bright but not overly white, decorated in a parquet pattern. Dozens of masked faces littered the ballroom floor, conversing with one another as waiters carried trays of drinks and hors d'ouevres through the groups of attendees. Videl couldn't believe her eyes. This not only put her family mansion to shame but gave the castle at Mt. Frypan a run for its money.

"Do you see Grandpa?" Gohan asked as Videl continued to gaze around the room.

Videl's eyes surveyed the room. Surely it wouldn't be hard to find the Ox King amongst these people. He was a giant of a man after all. She noticed his hulking figure by the entrance to a balcony on the far side with a masked Lime attending his side. How did she get there before they did?

"He's over there." Videl pointed.

"We should go to them." Gohan said "I mean I don't really know what to do not to mention we don't know anyone."

"Yeah you're right." Videl agreed.

The pair strolled over to where the Ox King and Lime were, with the large monarch currently in conversation with someone that Gohan instantly recognized. Videl blinked at the figure. Did someone bring their kid to the event? Though the person's face was covered by a mask, they for the most part looked like a small child. A little creepy as well as Videl could see they were incredibly pale, almost the colour of chalk with reddish cheeks peeking out from the sides of their mask. The boy was dressed in a regal Eastern garb made of black silk over a light blue shirt. On their head was a black cap with a red sphere at the peak. The boy turned to them and smiled as they came closer and Videl couldn't help but feel like she had seen him somewhere before.

"Is that you, Gohan?" he asked, outstretching his arms.

"Chiaotzu!" Gohan exclaimed as he wrapped the smaller figure in a warm embrace "It's been a long time."

"It has! How are you, old friend?"

"I'm good. I didn't know you would be here. Is Tien with you?" Gohan asked as the two broke apart.

"No, he came to the last one and complained about being pulled from his training so I'm here with another of my bodyguards."

Chiaotzu then turned to Videl who had been standing shyly and slightly annoyed behind Gohan.

"You haven't introduced me to your companion yet, Gohan." he said with a smile.

"Oh, sorry!" Gohan exclaimed "This is Videl, my uhh… fiancée."

Chiaotzu couldn't help but notice Gohan added that last part incredibly quietly. Though he didn't know the Half-Saiyan as well as others, he knew the boy to be quite shy and often preferred to be private with his life. Not to mention from Chiaotzu's memory he still lived at Mt. Paozu with Chi Chi and Goten. There weren't many people around for him to talk to unless he travelled to the Ox Kingdom. Where in the world did he find someone to romance let alone it being Mr. Satan's daughter? Yes, Chiaotzu recognized her and though he had seen Hercule and the Ox King on good terms a few times, he didn't know that Gohan knew the Satan family too, let alone be close with his Daughter. Mr. Satan had claimed Cell's defeat after all.

"This is Chiaotzu, the Emperor of the Mifan Empire." Gohan said, introducing the boy monarch to Videl.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." she said respectfully with a boy.

Chiaotzu bowed back and couldn't help but notice her surprise at his title. People often didn't expect someone his size to be an emperor. Royalty sure but not the leader of an entire country. He was often amused by that.

"It's nice to meet you too." he replied with a smile.

Suddenly her eyes widened when she realized where she had seen Chiaotzu from before.

"Wait Chiaotzu? You were in the old tournaments! That's where I know you from!" Videl exclaimed.

"Ah, even with this mask on you recognized me." Chiaotzu chuckled.

"To be fair, you kinda stick out…" Videl said "No offence."

"None taken."

"Wait, the Tien you guys mentioned earlier. Tien Shinhan as in the winner of the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament?" Videl asked.

"The very same."

"Wow so you were a member of the Crane school? That's amazing! Do you think you could show me what you can do sometime?"

Chiaotzu couldn't help but chuckle before nodding. Though he did now recall that Mr. Satan's daughter was something of a martial arts prodigy, not just being the child of the World Champion but the winner of the last Junior Division Tournament. It seemed even Gohan was typical of the Saiyans he knew. Of course they went for strong women. He hoped that she didn't have a powerful personality like Chi Chi or Bulma.

"Gohan!" Videl yelled "Why didn't you tell me you knew Chiaotzu and the Crane School?! How many famous people do you know?"

 _'Never mind.'_ Chiaotzu laughed.

"Err sorry. I'll let you know beforehand next time!" Gohan apologized.

"You better." Videl said, her eyes narrowing at her fiancé.

The Ox King chuckled loudly at the exchange between the two before bidding them farewell as he and Lime went around to socialize with others. Gohan, Videl and Chiaotzu continued their conversation with Videl animatedly describing the moves she had picked up from watching the Crane school, much to the Emperor's amusement. They were soon joined by a woman in a black dress with fluffy blueish purple hair behind her white mask held together by a red ribbon.

"They didn't have any of that brandy you like so I got you some rice wine." she said, handing Chiaotzu a glass filled with a clear liquid.

"Thank you, Launch. That's fine."

"Who are your friends? I don't recognize them." Launch said, inspecting the two teens.

'We have masks on…' Videl thought 'It'd be hard to recognize anyone here unless they stood out…'

"Ah Launch, this is Gohan and his fiancé, Videl." Chiaotzu stated. "Gohan, Videl, meet Launch, one of my other bodyguards."

"Gohan? Why does that sound familiar?" Launch asked.

"Gohan is Goku and Chi Chi's eldest son."

"Oh!" the woman exclaimed "Goku! I miss that guy."

"We all do." Chiaotzu said with a sad smile looking at Gohan.

"Yeah, he was like a little brother to me."

Gohan looked at the woman. He did remember his Dad, Krillin, Bulma and Yamcha talking about her before. He had met her a few times when he was younger but didn't know her all that well. If what he could recall was correct she had a peculiar issue whenever she sneezed. A very violent issue.

 _'Better not get anything that triggers that.'_

"So how did you become a bodyguard to Chiaotzu?" Videl asked the other woman.

"Oh it was a funny story. My other half was chasing Tien all over the world again until I found them three years ago. We had a penchant for getting into trouble and my other half loved beating up people so Chiaotzu here decided to let us do it… legally." Launch replied, never losing her innocent smile.

Videl blinked before turning to Gohan.

"Other half?" she asked.

"I'll explain later…" he whispered back.

The quartet continued talking amongst each other until Chiaotzu decided to move on to socialize with others, bringing Launch with him. Without anyone to talk with, the two Royal newbies stood there awkwardly, not knowing what to do.

"Do you want a drink?" Gohan suddenly asked "I'm gonna go get us some drinks."

He didn't even wait for Videl's response as he toddled off towards wherever the bar was, hoping that they had some non-alcoholic alternatives.

 _'Great.'_ Videl mentally complained 'He had to go run off. Gohan better come back quickly.'

Videl looked around to see if there was anywhere she could sit down nearby. Just as she saw a nearby sofa her eyes accidentally met with another person's. The man's blue eyes continued to stare at Videl even when she turned away, not wanting to have to talk to anyone without Gohan beside her. It was awkward enough as it is. The man licked his lips as he studied Videl's figure before sauntering over to her, almost strutting in an arrogant way.

"Hello there." he said.

 _'Fuckin' great…'_

Not wanting to be rude she faced him with a weak smile.

"Hi." she replied.

"I don't believe I've seen you here before." he said "I guess my mask hides my handsome face but I think you know who I am."

He smiled suavely at her which made Videl almost vomit in her mouth a little. This guy was worse than Sharpner!

"I don't, sorry." she said, trying her best to seem uninterested which she clearly was.

The man didn't notice however and continued to try and interact with her. The way his eyes were gliding all over her body was particularly infuriating. If this were the old Videl she would have just kicked his ass and stomped off but she was here with Gohan as a member of the Ox Kingdom's retinue. She'd just have to tough through it until Gohan returned.

"Well I guess this mask is doing its job then!" the man said, chuckling at his own joke "The name's Barry Kahn. I'm the nephew of the Ruby King."

"I see." Videl said, keeping her responses short.

Clearly the man expected his name to mean something. He obviously wasn't a big movie star, at least not yet seeing as how Videl couldn't recall any movies that he had starred in.

"You might recognize me from my roles in Try Hard and its sequel Try Harder."

 _'How fitting.'_ Videl laughed in her mind.

"Cool."

Suddenly Barry took her hand into his own grubby hands as he bent down slowly.

"Please allow me to know your name, for you are vision of beauty unlike any other."

He moved down to press down his lips on the back of her hand before she managed to pull her limb away from his grasp. Barry looked up at her a little annoyed that she was refusing his advances but that was okay. She would change her tune later. They all did.

"I see you are the shy type. Don't worry." he said, flashing his movie star smile "I find that incredibly cute."

Had Videl eaten recently she surely would have projectile vomited everywhere. This guy just wouldn't stop and his lines were terrible. Did guys really try picking up girls like this? Her azure eyes hurriedly wandered around the room trying to locate Gohan. Hopefully the presence of her fiancé would tell this guy to buzz off. Luckily for her, the Half-Saiyan came into sight, appearing through the throng of party goers with two glasses in his hands. He walked over and stood beside her, his eyes curiously looking at Barry Kahn who stared back.

"There you are!" Videl exclaimed as she shuffled closer to Gohan "What took you so long?"

"There was a line. Here." Gohan said handing Videl a glass "It's some mock cocktail."

"It's rude to interrupt someone else's conversation especially with a beauty like this lady." Barry Kahn roared, his blue eyes attempting to stare daggers into Gohan.

"Uh sorry?" Gohan blinked.

Videl couldn't help but laugh a little. She wrapped her arm around Gohan's and leant a little against his body.

"Thanks honey." Videl said smiling at him causing him to raise a curious eyebrow.

Since when did Videl give him pet names like that? Without speaking, Videl subtly motioned her head towards Barry Kahn who was standing there, seething. Gohan wasn't sure what this guy's problem was but if he was bothering Videl then that was an issue.

"Put your arm around me." Videl whispered, low enough just for Gohan to hear with is enhanced hearing.

The boy complied though a blush began to creep up his neck at Videl's sudden request for skinship. Barry's blue eyes glared jealously at Gohan before turning tail and leaving, angrily stomping and grumbling words about finding out who that woman was.

"Thanks." Videl said, shifting a little bit apart from Gohan.

"What was that about?" he asked.

"Ugh just some guy thinking he could pick up by reputation." Videl replied with a little bit of venom in her voice.

"Pick up?"

"You know like, try to score with girls?"

"Score?" Gohan innocently asked.

Videl almost facepalmed. Gohan clearly didn't know much slang having grown up in the wild of Mt. Paozu. Not to mention he had been around Sharpner for a while now. She took a sip of her virgin cosmopolitan.

"Basically he wanted to try and get with me. You know? Sort of like what Sharpner does sometimes."

At the mention of their flirty blonde friend who had a reputation for messing around with girls a light bulb dinged in Gohan's head.

"Oh…" he said as he realized what she meant "Oh!"

Suddenly his eyes got a little darker as he looked around to see if Barry Kahn was still around.

"He didn't hurt you or say anything inappropriate, did he?" Gohan asked, moving closer to Videl as if inspecting her for damage.

"No, Gohan. I'm fine." Videl replied.

She couldn't help but giggle a little at his sudden burst of worry.

"I can handle myself."

"Good." Gohan said "But I don't like that guy."

"That makes two of us."

The two broke apart as they continued to sip on their drinks before a bell began to toll. Their attention soon turned to a set of stairs that lead to a higher platform. The man they had met earlier that day, Terry Yer stood at the peak, proudly with his chest puffed out.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I present King Furry, his wife Queen Fleecy and their Daughters; the Princesses Fluffy and Messy."

Terry Yer stepped aside as the Royal Family of Central Kingdom stepped forward, waving to everyone in attendance as they did. If no one knew the King of the World was a Dog, people would have found the sight most amusing as four canines stood proudly at the top of the steps, all upright and in regal garb.

"Welcome everyone to the 254th Annual All Hallows Eve Masquerade Ball. Queen Fleecy and I welcome and thank you all for coming. Please, enjoy yourselves tonight. Drink and eat to your heart's content. There will be performances, games, contests and more littered around the Great Hall and the Gardens. Please do explore but remember! I expect you all to take to the floor when it comes to the dance! Now, enjoy yourself and most of all have fun!" King Furry announced, ending with a mighty laugh.

Videl mentally giggled at a joke that she remembered her Mother made about King Furry and his family. Something about imagining them sitting around a table with their relatives playing poker. It reminded her of this painting she once saw. She turned to Gohan who had just finished his drink and eagerly grabbed some appetizers from waiters walking past.

"Do you want to go check out the performers and games in the gardens?" she asked.

"Shure" Gohan said with his mouth full of food.

Videl laughed at him. Clearly Siri's lessons when it came to his eating habits weren't working. She wrapped her arm around his once more (taking advantage a little of the situation to feel his biceps through the cloth) as she led him outside. There were several dozens of people around, talking and drinking with several performers littered amongst them entertaining the guests. There were a few fire eaters blowing bright orange flames up into the air and jesters juggling a great number of colourful balls. It was almost like a little carnival, something she hadn't been able to attend in a while. It brought back memories of her childhood when her Mother used to take her to the city fair. As the duo walked through the courtyard, she noticed an attendant holding up a sign.

Eat one of the World's Spiciest Curries without drinking water for a prize.

She nudged Gohan towards it. Surely the Walking Food Vacuum could handle it.

"Are you good with spicy food?" Videl asked.

"I'm good with any food, to be honest." Gohan replied causing her to snort in laughter.

The attendant gave Gohan a bowl and spoon.

"Get a prize for your darling, Sir?" he said, raising his eyebrows at the two who blushed.

Videl awkwardly smiled at him then turned to Gohan who had the spoon in his hand. There was only one difference though. The food was already gone. There was a little bit of curry on Gohan's lips that he proceeded to lick off.

"That was pretty good!" he said as he handed the bowl back to the bewildered attendant.

"The… the prizes are over th-there." he stuttered, pointing to a nearby table "Take whatever you want."

Videl laughed as Gohan inspected the array of prizes.

"What do you want?" he asked Videl as she mulled over her choices.

The prizes were much fancier than the ones you'd see at a typical carnival. There were no stuffed toys, stickers or action figures. Instead there were ceremonial plates, glass figurines and more. Prizes for rich people, more or less. Videl didn't think King Furry was the type to like extravagant things. That was more her Dad's style but she supposed he had to cater to the guests. They were royals and other nobles after all. All in all, Videl didn't really want anything here.

"Uh would your Mother like anything here?" she asked Gohan.

"Hm," he thought for a moment "Probably one of those plates. She likes those sorts of things."

"We should get that for her then."

"Sure thing."

They instructed the attendant to have it brought to their room before continuing on their way. It wasn't long til they were called back in to take part in the event they weren't looking forward to. The Dance. The pair returned to the Great Hall where it seemed every single guest was in attendance.

 _'Lovely,'_ Videl mentally groaned _'We have to dance in front of all these people?!'_

Gohan was in a similar predicament. His throat was getting a little dry. Maybe it was the curry from earlier, maybe it was nerves. He wasn't particularly comfortable with being showcased in a way in front of so many people. Not to mention he'd have Videl in his arms for it, something his heart and mind were both cheering and groaning about.

"Let's go find Grandpa first." he said.

They soon found the Ox King and Lime underneath by an alcove. Lime smiled at the two as they neared.

"Are you ready?" she asked "After the King and Queen dance, the first timers will be asked to take the floor with them before others."

"I guess." Videl grumbled.

"You two will do fine." the Ox King said, giving the two nervous teens a look of encouragement.

An elegant song began to play as the crowds turned their attention to the middle of the ballroom floor. King Furry and Queen Fleecy strode towards the centre, the Queen's hand resting on the King's outstretched one. The two held each other in the position that Gohan and Videl had learnt for the past week as the music continued. All eyes were on the King and Queen as they danced around, almost gliding across the wooden floor. Several people watching clapped. The way they moved was amazing. They were in complete sync and none of their movements were wasted. Gohan wondered if he and Videl could reach that level. They had steadily improved over the week and Siri had deemed their progress acceptable but it was nowhere near King Furry and Queen Fleecy's. They were amazing. The King and Queen ended their section with a twirl before bowing at each other. Lime nudged Videl, signalling that it was their turn to join in as a few other first timers took to the floor.

"Are you ready?" Gohan whispered as he took his position.

"As ready as I'll ever be." Videl replied.

She took Gohan's hand as she rested her other hand on his shoulder. Gohan's broad hand rested on her back just above her backside as the music changed to a slightly different tune. There were a few couples beside them. Some of them were just as nervous as they were, some a little more confident in their ability. There was another pair just a few metres away from Gohan and Videl that looked completely in love, gazing longingly into each other's eyes. Gohan's eyes couldn't help but notice them. He took an audible gulp before looking down at Videl who was staring at anywhere but him. The music picked up as Gohan and Videl began their routine. Sure, it seemed a little bland compared to what they had seen earlier but it was good enough for both of them. Their eyes refused to meet as they danced. It was a huge improvement from their first attempt as their chemistry began to grow. As Gohan moved to spin Videl in a twirl, his eyes glanced down meeting hers once she had finished her rotation. There were no words spoken between the two as both eagerly wanted to complete this. It was a challenge in itself and neither one wanted to back down.

"They're starting to look much better together." Lime commented from the sidelines.

"They do." the Ox King said with a smile.

"Do you think they'll work out?" Lime asked.

The Ox King continued to watch his Grandson and his soon to be Granddaughter-in-law dance. As their dance went on, they were starting to get a lot more comfortable and relaxed. Their movements were much cleaner and began to radiate elegance as onlookers began to watch in awe. The two figures were incredibly fit and as they went on, they began to enjoy it more and more. Videl's sapphire eyes began to stare into Gohan's, never leaving his gaze as they continued. She was almost entranced by him. This wasn't a dance where one person was leading and the other followed. No, they had begun to move together as one. Siri would be damn proud if she could see them now.

"I do." the Ox King finally stated.

'I hope they do.' he mentally added.

Soon others began to join in, taking to the floor as married and betrothed couples, friends and colleagues alike began to dance with one another. Gohan couldn't help but smile at Videl who returned the expression. For a moment the rest of the world didn't seem to matter. Everything disappeared as he gazed into her eyes. No royal lessons, no overbearing mother, no social worries at school. Just Videl and her beautiful eyes. Blue was starting to become his favourite colour.

As they ended their dance the nervous feelings and awkwardness they had experienced earlier began to come back. Videl's eyes tore away from Gohan's as he nervously scratched the back of his head. Another blush threatened to make its way to both their faces. Videl suddenly began to feel incredibly hot.

"I think I need some fresh air." she said.

"Yeah me too." Gohan replied.

The two quickly made their way back outside into the gardens, avoiding the amused smirk on Lime's face. Videl ambled through the greenery as Gohan followed her before the two found themselves on a nearby balcony overlooking the lower gardens. There was a dim light from a lamp nearby that began to mix it's soft yellowish glow with the subtle glow of the moon bearing down on them. They stood there, no words spoken as the night's air began to cool them down.

"I'm glad we're out of there." Videl said, breaking the silence.

"Ye-yeah…" Gohan replied.

He couldn't help but notice the way the moonlight was shining down on Videl's pale skin. She looked almost ethereal, like something out of a fairy tale. She probably hated wearing that dress but he couldn't deny she looked amazing in it. He could see the reflection of the moon in her eyes, shimmering in its full glory. Slowly he glanced up into the sky to see that it was indeed a full moon. It's silvery white bloom shimmering softly in the cloudless sky. Gohan couldn't help but think what would happen if he still had his tail. If he looked up into the sky now while he still had the furry appendage he would probably lose control and transform into the Oozaru. What would happen if he did? He hated losing control like that. Even with Cell and his Ascended Super Saiyan transformation he almost lost control.

Gohan looked back down at Videl who was staring up into the moon as well. Her features looked much softer to him than it ever did. Gone was the scowling girl who took no bullshit he had met several months ago. No, standing beside him now was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. His eyes drifted down to her lips. Her sweet, supple rosy lips. He was starting to lose control. What would her lips taste like? What would it be like to press his own against hers? Ever slowly he began to move his head closer to hers. His resolve was weakening. Videl turned her head to face him as he neared. What was he doing?

"Gohan?" she asked.

He said nothing and merely kept moving closer to her. His body was completely turned towards her. She was starting to feel the heat from his breath gently against her face. She could see what was happening. Her eyes stared into his own before he closed his eyes. Never had he felt anything like this before. Giant ape transformations and super powered forms were nothing to the loss of control he was feeling right now. She closed his eyes as he neared.

And pressed his lips onto hers in a delicate kiss.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

Well that was a pretty long chapter. And they finally kissed! I wonder how Videl's going to react to it. Good? Bad? Who knows. ;)

I had originally thought of splitting this chapter up before they entered the Great Hall but felt that that wasn't really necessary and the stuff beforehand probably didn't need to be it's own chapter. Plus I think you guys probably enjoy reading a bit more anyways.

Lightningblade49, thanks! I kinda enjoy writing Vegeta as less of an asshole and more like that uncle that tries not to care but does in his own way.

EleazarTheUnforgotten, I'm glad you like that too! To be honest I was inspired by some fics where Gohan inherited the Ox Kingdom but like you, I felt that they just threw him in there with him knowing everything already and I wanted to show part of that learning experience not just for him but for Videl. I will say there are some things that I'm not all that sure how to portray so I may have skimmed over it a bit but like you, I do enjoy reading those little challenges. I'm a sucker for slice of life stuff.

Yeah they definitely are developing something for each other but neither have any experience with romance so they don't know how to go about it. With what's just happened in this chapter, I wonder how it's going to affect them moving forward. Well I know how it is since it's my story but you guys can wonder hehe.

Tactician, yeah I felt that way too. It was more of them not having any chemistry together yet and not being used to the whole thing. Dancing is basically like a martial arts too, like with Katas if you think about it that way. I'm not sure about Gohan wanting to wear the full spandex like Vegeta all the time but his Bardock style armour is pretty cool. It would help both of them though since they aren't particularly keen on wearing fancy shit.

Winterfang53, thanks! I'm happy you're enjoying it. Yeah, I didn't want to take those aspects of their characters and turn them up to over 9000 by making Videl a complete bitch and Gohan a total wimp. While their personalities are still there, I think I've made them a little more relatable and less one dimensional in that regard. At least, I hope so.

As always, do leave a review with your thoughts! I'm always happy to read what you guys think, whether you're enjoying the story, what parts you liked, what parts you think needed some work or what you didn't like.


	19. Chapter 19 - Melee By Moonlight

**Chapter 19: Melee By Moonlight**

Videl's heart was thumping fast. Gohan Son had actually just kissed her. She wasn't prepared at all for this. Gohan wasn't the type of guy to just try and kiss a girl. No, he was shy and geeky, often stumbled over his words at times and though he had gotten comfortable with her as a friend, she didn't think he had romantic feelings for her. And yet here he was, kissing her. Just as she was about to melt into his lips, he pulled away abruptly. She opened her eyes and met his. He looked worried, confused. Almost like what he had done was a mistake. Did he regret it?

"I… I'm sorry!" he blurted out, distancing himself a little from her.

She looked at him as his body trembled slightly. She wanted to tell him it was okay, that even though they weren't in a relationship like that, a part of her did want it. Or at least, was curious about it. He audibly gulped and shook his head.

"I didn't… I didn't mean to." he said, panicking slightly.

Videl sighed as she slumped her shoulders. So he did regret it. She turned her head away from him and gazed out into the night sky. Gohan meanwhile stood there, his dark eyes wavering in its attempt to look at Videl. He didn't mean to do it. He had lost control as his desires overtook him. Only after realizing what he had just done was he able to pry himself away from it. From those delicate lips of Videl Satan. He was scared. Was she going to be mad at him now? How were they going to go about this because a first kiss definitely changes things.

"It's okay." Videl managed to say, trying to hide her disappointment.

"I'm…" Gohan began "I'm sorry, I'll go get us something to drink!"

He hurriedly ran towards the nearest bar as Videl stood there alone under the moonlight. Slowly she brought her fingers up to her lips, brushing the part that Gohan had gently kissed. Her first kiss. She looked around to see if Gohan was still in sight but the Half-Saiyan had already disappeared.

 _'Great…'_ she thought.

Videl began to walk over to a nearby bench when she overheard some voices talking. Though she knew it was rude to eavesdrop, her curious nature was getting the best of her as one of the voices started to get louder.

"You must realize my offer is the only true way our kingdoms can thrive!" it shouted "If we do not band together then the Major Kingdoms will overtake us."

The voice for some reason felt greasy, like the person speaking could project filth from the way they spoke. Videl couldn't help but shudder. Another voice then spoke, almost childlike in manner. Videl peered around the corner of the hedge she had leaned against and noticed Chiaotzu there talking with another man of similar small stature. He had slightly tanned skin with light brown eyes and greasy black hair that was tied in a long braid behind his head. His mask looked crooked, awkwardly sitting upon his pudgy cheeks. His attire was predominately white with a red blazer with black trimming that barely fit his portly figure.

"I know what you're after, Baron." Chiaotzu said "You wish for us to unite and yet your Kingdom will reap all the benefits whilst keeping its strict isolationist policies. You've never allowed trade with our nations before and only now when it's benefitting you due to your issues with the other Kingdoms."

"You accuse me of too much, Emperor Chiaotzu." the Baron replied "My only concern is for the betterment of my people."

"And your wallet…" Chiaotzu muttered under his breath.

"Can you not see that the Mifan Empire can gain much from an alliance with Sasebo? We will able to influence the minor nations into trade federations." the Baron retorted.

"And what about the Ox Kingdom? Are you still on bad terms with the Ox King?" Chiaotzu asked.

"I do not know what you're talking about. If the Ox King does not wish to cooperate with my offers then that is his problem. I am not concerned with it."

"Of course, you only wanted to dug up Mt. Paozu so you could find oil."

The Baron's eyes narrowed at the Mifan Emperor before turning his head away from him in disgust.

"Do reconsider my offer." the Baron said "I will be sure to make it worth your while."

Videl moved to better hide herself as the Baron walked past the hedges and towards the castle. As she came from the shadows she was startled by the voice of Chiaotzu.

"You can come out now, Videl." he said.

She walked closer to him, noticing the smile underneath is mask.

"How did you… oh wait, Ki sensing." Videl said.

Chiaotzu smiled at her.

"You are correct though I'm sorry you had to hear that. He was never that friendly of a man."

"Who was that?" Videl asked.

"That was Baron Jaeger Batta, the Lord of Sasebo and Mei Queen castle." he replied.

"Sasebo? That's a Middle Kingdom right? Why would such a greasy looking man be the leader of a big nation?"

"Inheritance I suppose, that and he was always a shrewd businessman. Not all that bright when it comes to other things but he knew how to make a dollar. Although…" Chiaotzu said "there were rumours about him funding some less than legal operations but that was never proven."

"Sounds like a pain." Videl said "And he doesn't like the Ox Kingdom?"

Chiaotzu chuckled a little.

"No, not really. Then again, he doesn't really like anyone that isn't himself. I suppose that means you're less likely to deal with him when you and Gohan ascend to the throne."

Videl blushed slightly at the mention of the Ox Prince. The boy that just earlier had kissed her and… ran away. The thought brought her down to earth a little.

"Ah but don't worry. I'm sure you don't have to worry about things like that for a while." Chiaotzu said "Now, where is Gohan? I figured he'd be stuck to your side to be honest. That boy is painfully shy so I doubt he'd be wandering off talking with others."

"He went to get us some drinks. It was getting a little stuffy inside to be honest." Videl said.

"I see. Well I must return inside. There are still many people I wish to talk to." Chiaotzu said as he began to walk away "See you later, Miss Videl."

"Right, see ya."

Soon Chiaotzu disappeared from sight as Videl stood there, alone again as the cool air began to chill her slightly.

 _'Where the heck is Gohan?'_ she wondered.

He had only gone to get drinks, which surely wasn't going to take all that long. Maybe he was still thinking about the kiss earlier. Did he really regret it that much? Videl couldn't help but be disheartened a little bit but she supposed that was just in Gohan's nature. He was a socially awkward butterfly who just didn't know how to deal with things. She smiled a little, thinking of how dorky he could be. How he'd slip up and get all flustered when he said things that accidentally sounded wrong. Videl began to walk around the balcony. She wouldn't wander far but looking at the same green hedges could get boring at times. Besides, if Gohan needed to find her, he could simply search for her Ki. It wasn't like she had learnt how to lower it yet. Maybe that's what she'd make him teach her next. It was the least he could do after kissing her.

She set herself against a railing that was overlooking several other courtyards. A few dozen metres away was the King's Tower, standing proudly above the landscape. A few guards stood by, with one or two walking around, patrolling the area. The courtyards were fairly quiet as music continued to play distantly from the Great Hall. Videl began to study the guards. Their uniform wasn't ceremonial like the ones posted by the Great Hall. Instead it looked similar to navy uniforms you would see in old war movies. White with blue trimmings. Videl's eyes rested on one particular guard just as he fell to the ground. She blinked as she noticed another guard nearby fall down, unconscious.

"What the hell?" she gasped.

Three figures descended onto the remaining guards who began to scramble at the sudden loss of comrades. The three figures were oddly shaped. Two of them were short and yet bore incredibly toned muscles. The other one was much taller, similar to one of the goons Videl and Gohan had fought at the mall with Pardus.

 _'Wait a second.'_

These guys were just like the ones she fought! The ones Pardus had control of. What were they doing here and why are they attacking the Central Kingdom guards? Though Videl couldn't see their eye colours, the assailants were all definitely bald and looked quite unnatural. She could see the veins in their bulging muscles. They were taking down the Castle guard quite effortlessly with powerful strikes enough to knock down the trained men. Videl needed to intervene.

"Damn it!" she swore as she tried to climb the railing to jump over.

Her dress was way too constricting. There was no way she could fight adequately in her current get up. Sure she was much stronger than she was a month ago thanks to Gohan's training but from what she saw of these mysterious thugs in the past, she needed every advantage she could get.

"Siri's going to kill me…" she muttered as she grasped her dress at her thighs.

With a loud rip, she tore the bottom off the dress, giving her legs some much needed air and space. She silently thanked Kami that she chose to wear some spats underneath. Fighting in her underwear even if she had the upper part of her dress still intact was not going to do.

"Hey!" she yelled out as she jumped onto the railing.

One of the goons turned to face the incoming voice before being pummelled into the ground as Videl vaulted through the air, using her Ki to propel her fist into the man's torso. Trying to wrap things up quickly, she sent a small blast towards another one. Hopefully King Furry would forgive her for damaging the gardens a little.

"Ha!" she yelled as she sent another blast towards the man who braced for impact.

Her blasts weren't super strong and though they would definitely wreak havoc on a normal human, these people clearly weren't normal humans. The defending man's arms were singed and slightly melted from the heat of the blast. Without giving Videl time to think, he sent a small blast at Videl who promptly dodged it. As she landed on her feet, a large trunk of a leg collided with her. Videl barely had any time to block it as she was sent careening backwards. If not for the ability to hover, she would have surely crashed into the stone brick walls of the courtyard. Videl looked up at her opponents. The one she had taken down at the start was now up and was cracking his neck as his two allies began to circle Videl. Two more figures appeared from the shadows joining in as they prepared to take down the Satan Heiress. She smirked a little, welcoming the challenge.

 _'Gohan better get his ass here to help.'_

* * *

He panicked. Plain and simple. He didn't know what came over him to invade her personal space like that, let alone kiss her and yet he did it. He couldn't help himself and now he felt like he had overstepped his boundaries. She was just so beautiful underneath the silvery light of the moon. Gohan apologized and almost prepared himself for a tongue lashing and yet all she said was that it was okay. He was more than confused. Was she really okay with it? And did she actually want it too. Yes, they were to be engaged and everyone teased them about it but was there actually something more to their relationship. Did she really like him that way? Not just because of her crush on him before. Did she actually like him as he was now?

Gohan pushed through several crowds and almost knocked someone over as he made his way to the bar. He couldn't help but think about her. She wasn't just beautiful. No she was modest about her beauty, never showing herself off like she was some prize for men to fight over. If anything, she'd prefer to fight everyone else. She was strong and driven albeit headstrong. But he liked that about her. He liked that she didn't give up. That she would try no matter what, even if she was outmatched. He liked that she would willingly put herself in harm's way to help people out, even if it hurt her. And she didn't do it for the plaudits. She didn't do it to be recognized for her efforts or to gain money or gifts. She did it because she truly wanted to help people. As he neared the bar his eyes widened as he realized something.

He was beginning to fall for Videl Satan.

No, that had started a while ago. It was simply growing stronger by the day.

While he wasn't completely dense and slow as his Dad, he was still a little bit naïve and socially awkward. He wasn't used to this. His only friends his age were Dende and Lime and they weren't great examples. Well Lime was somewhat normal but she was the 17 year old assistant to the Ox King. That wasn't exactly the norm for a teenager. No, Gohan was completely clueless when it came to teenage things. Like hanging out with friends at the mall, the gossips of high school life and his current issue. Romance and falling in love.

"What'll you have?" the Bartender asked as he turned his attention to Gohan.

"Can I get a Virgin Pina Colada and something strong?"

"Something strong, eh? Got any preference."

"Su-surprise me."

The Bartender nodded as Gohan stood there awkwardly. He had only drank twice before. Once when he was a curious 14 year old and snuck a sip of Krillin's beer during a Z Fighters get together and another time when he was 16. Yamcha had joked that he was pretty much a man and gave him a sneaky shot of tequila. Though Gohan wasn't repulsed by the taste, the effect it had on him certainly was interesting. While he couldn't get overly drunk due to his Saiyan heritage, he still wasn't used to it and it could certainly dull his senses a little bit. The bartender soon came back with a glass filled with some mystery liquid and the cocktail Gohan had ordered for Videl. Without thinking, he downed his glass as someone neared him.

"Damn, what's got you downing it like that?" they asked.

Gohan turned to find Lime looking at him curiously with a glass of wine in her hand.

"It's nothing. Just trying to get into the party mood heh heh…" Gohan awkwardly replied.

"Right…" Lime said.

There was clearly something off about Gohan. Lime could see that but couldn't tell what. And where was Videl anyways? Those two were practically inseparable earlier with Videl even uncharacteristically clinging to Gohan's arm. Did something happen? Maybe that's why Gohan was drinking like that.

"Hey where's Videl?" she asked.

"Videl?" Gohan said nervously, audibly gulping "She's outside just getting some air. It was a bit too stuf…"

He trailed off as he noticed something flaring up in the distance.

"What is it?" Lime asked.

"It's Videl." Gohan replied "Her Ki just spiked."

"What? Do you think she's fighting someone?"

"I… I can't sense anything else but something's not right."

Gohan set down the glass on the table as he moved away.

"Go tell Grandpa and King Furry something's up. Maybe Chiaotzu if you see him. I'm gonna go see what's up."

"You got it."

Gohan sped through the partygoers and out the door leading to the gardens as he removed his blazer. This was definitely weird. He could sense Videl's Ki rising, like it would whenever she would practice sending out blasts. While they hadn't trained all that much with it, she could create and shoot out small Ki blasts. Gohan smiled at the memory when she started learning it. She had been so excited at the prospect of being able to blow things up. While she didn't have the natural talent that Saiyans possessed, she had the drive and willingness to learn. Even though they didn't have too much time to give to Ki training due to their royal lessons, she had managed to pick things up fairly quickly. She was just amazing like that.

"Haa!" he heard her voice yell as he drew near to where he felt her Ki.

He saw her, fighting off five men unlike the ones he had fought at the mall. Something was different though. Though their body shapes were varied, they were similar to those goons from before. They were missing something though. He couldn't feel their Ki. Only Videl's. His eyes widened at the thought.

"Are they… androids?" he wondered out loud as he dropped down from the overlooking perch.

Videl kicked one of the guys away, sending him into a nearby hedge garden as the plant life collapsed onto his body. Videl had definitely gotten stronger but she still needed help. It was then that Gohan noticed something different about Videl. Her dress was torn and her legs were on show. A slight blush crept through his cheeks. His eyes trailed down her pale limbs and noticed she was wearing flats and not heels like he thought. He couldn't help but laugh. Of course Videl Satan would get away with not wearing heels at a ball. As two more moved to jump her, Gohan powered through the air and sent the two flying with a strong kick.

"Took you long enough." Videl commented.

"Hey, it's not like you can't handle yourself." Gohan said with a small smirk.

At least Videl was in a sort of joking mood. Putting aside their incident from earlier, Gohan reached into his pocket and pulled out his watch. He wrapped it around his arm and pressed a button. With a quick flash of light, his attire changed to his Gold Fighter armour as he powered to his base Super Saiyan form. Videl couldn't help but feel envious. She definitely needed to get her hands on something like that. At least she next time wouldn't have to destroy her dress.

"Gohan, how strong are these guys?" Videl asked "You can sense their Ki, right?"

"I actually can't…" he replied.

Videl turned to him in surprise.

"Wait what? What do you mean?"

"I'll explain in depth later but there are some Androids that don't have Ki signatures."

Videl nodded as she moved to kick down another assailant. Yet for how strong she was hitting them and how much she had improved they had continued to get back up. Gohan meanwhile had a much easier time. He thought about his encounter from the mall. Noticing their enemies had melted marks on their bodies from Videl's Ki blasts, he figured they were the same type. But what made him curious was that they were melted and not burned nor were they bleeding from their wounds.

"Videl!" he called out "We might have to blast them completely to get rid of them!"

"Easier said than done!" Videl shouted back "How do we do that without destroying King Furry's place?"

"Good point."

As they continued fighting the Ox King, Chiaotzu and Launch had come out as well as a few of the King's guards.

"What's going on?" the Guard Captain asked.

Kicking back her current opponent, Videl vaulted over to them using the man's upper body as a makeshift trampoline.

"These guys started attacking your guards. I'm not sure what they're after but they looked like they were trying to get into the King's Tower."

King Furry and Lime watched from a distance as several members of the King's Guard were ushering party goers inside the Great Hall for safety. Yet there was panic as several people ran around screaming and even a few curious onlookers had peaked out to watch the melee. They were eventually forced back inside much to their disappointment as they had wanted to enjoy the martial arts spectacle.

"Wow! I can't believe they're staging a fight here too!" one not particularly bright individual commented.

"Yeah. King Furry's always been a big fan of the World Tournaments!"

"He's even got Satan City's Gold Fighter here! I wonder if he managed to get the Champ here too!"

Lime couldn't help but facepalm at the stupidity. She watched on as Gohan and Videl were fighting these mysterious figures. She knew that Gohan could easily tear them apart but couldn't help but wonder why he wasn't doing so. Maybe he was trying to minimize damage to the area? That would be a smart thing to do with all the people present. Besides, King Furry's pretty rich and could easily make repairs to any property damage. Or maybe he was trying to give Videl a chance to show how far she had come during their training. Lime knew Videl to be a woman who wouldn't back down from a challenge. From what she had seen of the Satan Heiress and from what Gohan had told her, she would probably fight til she couldn't fight any more. And so far, she was looking impressive at the very least.

"Gold Fighter!" Videl called out as she power-slid underneath one of the goons.

Generating her Ki through her legs, she kicked up, sending the poor sap flying high into the sky as Gohan readied an energy attack.

"MASENKO HAAAA!" he yelled as the energy blast engulfed the man, destroying him.

 _'At least they have more chemistry fighting than dancing'_ Lime mused.

"Woah!" an onlooker shouted "They can do light tricks too!"

"That's so cool! I wonder what kind of machines they're using to set this up!"

"Look at that girl fighter's legs though!"

"Uh sir, your wife is right here, you know?"

 _'Yep. The World's Elite are idiots sometimes…'_ Lime groaned.

Gohan meanwhile studied what had just transpired as he blocked several jabs from two foes. Other than their untraceable Ki, they didn't seem like androids. At least not like the ones he had encountered in the past. His eyes glanced to where the charred remains of the destroyed enemy had fallen. There were no mechanical parts, just a pile of sloppy goo, not unlike melted flesh. Except flesh didn't melt like that and certainly wouldn't have anything close to that sort of density, especially after being overcome by a Ki blast. For all intents and purposes, these weren't robots or even humans modified to have robotic parts. Whatever was done to them was biological. With a powerful roundhouse kick, Gohan sent his two opponents flying. They were nowhere near the power of the previous androids either. Though he had surpassed them, androids such as Eighteen could definitely still give Gohan and other Saiyans quite the work out, maybe even pushing them close to their limits. Especially if Videl as a human, even with Ki training, was going toe to toe with them. He noticed that one of the enemies he was fighting decided it was best to avoid him and instead began to aid his ally who had been duelling with Videl.

"Black Devil!" he called out, trying to come up with a name for her on the spot without giving away her identity.

She turned around and blocked the incoming punch before flipping backwards and kicking the assailant clean on the jaw.

"Black Devil?" she asked, slightly amused.

Gohan descended beside her.

"Shut up, it was just the first name I could think of."

Videl chuckled as she sent two blasts at the enemy.

"You know what? I kind of like it."

The newly christened Black Devil eyed their opponents. One they had destroyed already with two attempting to flank them as the largest one charged them from the middle. The two fighters promptly dodged the attempts at contact before Videl noticed something.

"Unless you defeated another, there's one missing." she stated.

Gohan looked around and noticed that she was right. The smallest one of the group had disappeared. In the distance, the large door leading to the King's Tower was broken down with a few members of the King's Guard strewn on the stone pavements beside the marble entrance.

"Shit!" Gohan swore "He's managed to get in there."

"Go look for him. You're much faster than I am!" Videl ordered.

"Will you be okay by yourself here?" he asked, a hint of worry in his voice.

"She won't be by herself." a third voice stated.

They turned to find Chiaotzu levitating behind them, a faint blue glow surrounding him.

"We've just managed to contain all the partygoers inside the Great Hall but the Ox King and a few guards are still checking around to see if anyone got left behind. I'll help out Videl." he said.

"Black Devil, you mean." Gohan quickly corrected.

"Uhhh yeah okay?" Chiaotzu said, a little confused.

Gohan smiled and nodded at his old friend before blasting away, tearing right between the two thinner thugs knocking them over with a gust of wind.

"Don't worry about the gardens." Chiaotzu said to Videl "King Furry said it's okay if they get messed up as long as we take care of these guys."

A confident smirk appeared on the Satan girl's face as she cracked her knuckles in anticipation.

"Let's do this."

* * *

The lights were dim inside the tower with some of them busted up. There were broken tables, smashed vases and bent flowers on the ground. Doors hung off their frames with several cabinets ransacked. Gohan's eyes flicked between the open rooms. Whoever this guy was, he was clearly looking for something and wasn't being subtle about it. He might not be able to sense his Ki but the damage left in the man's wake was leaving a trail right to him. Gohan simply had to follow it and hope whatever he was looking for was hard to find. As Gohan trudged through the damage he began to ponder the enemy's motives. Judging by how this man was going about his business he was clearly not a professional spy. And if he was an android, he didn't seem like an advanced type. He was probably some lowly thug that had been enhanced but kept his low intellect. What intrigued Gohan was the residue that would be left behind after they had been destroyed. It clearly wasn't metal or machine and seemed a bit too different to be flesh based. It was clearly modified but how and in what way, he didn't know. He'd have to get a few samples and have them analysed by someone. Maybe Bulma or someone at Capsule Corp could help out. He could hear small explosions outside which nudged him to quicken his pace.

Gohan ascended several floors with each one the same. They had been hastily searched without any form of subtlety. Suddenly Gohan had a thought. Why weren't there more guards here? If the King's Tower held something important like this, why were there only patrolling guards below? Several levels above him he could hear movement. A large crash rang through the air. Gohan hurried his pace, flying above several flights of stairs before he came to a room with a metal door that had been blasted open. Just as he entered, his quarry disappeared from sight, jumping from the nearby window and into the night sky. Gohan moved to chase after him, accidentally kicking over a file cabinet that had been thrown onto the floor, halting his momentum a little. Quickly regaining his feet, Gohan flew through the window as he caught a flash of colour in the near distance before it disappeared into a nearby hedge maze.

"Why are the royals so obsessed with these damn hedge mazes?!" Gohan groaned before flying down into the gardens.

He couldn't help but notice that his target had ploughed through the hedges instead of sneaking around. It almost made him laugh. At least he could follow him this way and it didn't look like they could fly. Just jump from high distances and not take damage. But he needed to close the distance now or else they would escape with whatever they took. Soon he found himself out of the hedges into another courtyard. By a stone wall was a short and pudgy man, slumped over holding his right arm. It was bleeding a little.

"Are you okay?" Gohan asked.

"Yeah… that guy basically bulldozed me and sent me flying into this wall." he replied.

"Damn it. Did you see which way he went?" Gohan asked.

The man lifted his chubby fingers and pointed to a nearby walkway.

"He went through there. You better hurry!" he said.

"Thanks. You better put pressure on that and go get it checked out."

Gohan took one last look at the man before talking off in the direction of his target. Had he turned back, he would have seen something quite interesting. The man smirked as Gohan disappeared around the corner, his grubby hands clutching at a manila folder hidden beneath his red and black blazer.

A large explosion burst through the sky as Videl and Chiaotzu sent a large Ki blast towards the hapless soul that had been caught in one of Chiaotzu's telekinetic holds. With a flash of light, the being was no more as the two turned their attention to the others. It was two versus two now, an even playing field. On the right was the largest of the group, hulking over the three shorter figures by at least a full metre. The one on the left was shorter, closer to a regular human. He was toned and quite slender compared to the others. Both had clean shaved heads and colourful eyes.

"Let's deal with the smaller one first." Videl said.

Chiaotzu nodded and sent a wave of telekinetic energy towards the larger figure's legs. The man tried to rush them but found his legs wouldn't move. He struggled, swinging at the air viciously in an attempt to get free but no matter what he did, his limbs wouldn't budge.

"That should hold him for a few moments. Hurry!" Chiaotzu said.

Videl gave him the thumbs up and sent a small blast at the feet of her new opponent. It struck just between two stone pavers, sending dirt and dust in the air. The man covered his eyes as it began to obstruct his vision. As the dust began to settle, he opened his eyes and quickly found the foot of Videl Satan colliding with his face.

"Dynamic Kick!" she yelled as she swung her body around using his face as a pivot before connecting with another brutal boot that sent the victim sailing backwards.

"Dodon Barrage!" Chiaotzu yelled behind her as she followed up with a Ki blast of her own.

The man didn't have any time to defend himself as multiple blasts detonated around him, tearing his body and engulfing it in a burst of power. Videl steadied herself as she caught her breath. She hadn't used this much Ki before and it was starting to tire her out. Sure her reserves had grown exponentially through training with Gohan and every day usage but a fight like this, using it so often and in quick succession was really draining her. They needed to finish it off soon otherwise she might collapse if it dragged on too long.

"GRAHH!" the held down opponent yelled as he finally broke free from his bonds.

He held his hands out in front of him before manifesting a large Ki blast towards Videl who barely dodged it, slightly singing the ends of her hair. If only they were still in pigtails. Chiaotzu floated up and sent his own blast towards the man.

"Dodon Pa!"

The man crossed his arms and blocked it before thrusting them out, sending part of the energy wave back at Chiaotzu. It looked like it hit the Mifan Emperor until the image of his body vanished from the sky and reappeared beside Videl.

"I've gotta learn that one." she commented.

Chiaotzu too began to puff, a little tired from the melee. While he trained regularly with Tien, he wasn't always the strongest nor did he have great endurance and that coupled with his duties as a ruler made him weaker than the others. Videl looked at him, a little proud that someone of his stature was fighting alongside her. They were making quite the team and she admired the fact that he not only could use Ki but had several moves she was interested in. Especially for someone of similar small stature. She turned her head and noticed the Ox King and King Furry were standing in the distance, observing the whole thing.

"Let's end this." Videl said.

"Alright. I'll hold him down again and you send whatever blast you can to obliterate him."

"Got it."

Chiaotzu raised his hands as the man began to charge them. He stopped in his tracks, his legs being weighed down once more but due to Chiaotzu using so much of his Ki already, the man could move slightly.

"I can't hold him for too long!" he yelled as he struggled.

Videl raised her hands above her head. A regular Ki blast wasn't going to do against a being this big and it needed to be powerful. There were moves that she had seen in the past that could probably work, one in particular that she had seen Gohan do several times, almost like it was his signature move. A golden ball of energy began to form in her palms. If he could do it, she probably could too? It shouldn't be too hard. Videl had done Ki blasts before but nothing on this scale. How different could it be? She couldn't help but smile when she thought about what his reaction would be. How would it feel if she used one of his signature moves to defeat someone? She thrust her hands forward and yelled.

"MASENKO HA!"

A large burst of energy flew through the air as the golden light powered towards its target. The man swung his arms in front of him, bracing himself for impact before it collided with him. Videl continued to hold the blast, putting more of her energy into it as the man held his ground. Why wasn't it working? He stood there struggling to defend against the attack as his legs began to move backwards. Chiaotzu's hold began to weaken.

"My technique is slipping!" he yelled out.

Videl raised her Ki and sent more power through the blast. It began to become erratic, no longer a controlled beam with sparks flailing wildly from her fingertips. Her concentration began to wane as the flashes of light flickered from her hands.

"Need… more…" she panted.

With a loud grunt she put more power into her Masenko, causing it to flare uncontrollably. The increase in strength began to push her target back as Chiaotzu's hold on him disappeared. The Mifan Emperor dropped to his knees, heavily panting trying to gain his breath. It had been a while since he had used that much energy, especially on telekinetic moves.

"Just a bit more..." Videl grunted.

She grit her teeth as the man began to fight back against the beam, trying to form his own Ki blast to push it away. Sweat dripped down Videl's face as she struggled, trying to force the beam to consume the man. He raised his own Ki levels, desperately trying to break away from her Masenko. His attempt began to combust, the light shining brightly as it started to blind the vision of everyone watching.

"Watch out!" Chiaotzu yelled.

Videl's ears were closed to him as she sent more power into her blast. She had to defeat him. She had to do this. She had to show everyone she could do it. Especially Gohan.

"HAAAA!" she yelled even more.

Her blast exploded as the man tried desperately to push it back with his own Ki blast. As the Masenko began to engulf him, his lost control of his Ki blast as it fired off in a random direction. Which unfortunately was heading straight for the Ox King and King Furry.

"Watch out!" Chiaotzu yelled, trying to warn them.

Videl swore as her body gave out, bringing her down to her knees. She watched helplessly as the errant blast jolted to its destination. She should have been more careful. Maybe she shouldn't have tried it. Was it her ego or overconfidence? Maybe she just wanted to show Gohan she could do it too without having him to bail her out. She didn't think the Ox King had any Ki training to deflect or block it. Sure, he was a trained martial artist before but this business with Ki was much more dangerous. And she began to regret overestimating her abilities. Sure enough her foe had been utterly defeated with not a trace of him left but what collateral damage would come of this? She closed her eyes, unwilling to look at her mistake. A loud boom soon rang through her ears.

* * *

Gohan almost thought of giving up his chase when he finally caught a glimpse of his target. They were at the edge of the castle grounds and the man could easily escape into the city if Gohan didn't catch him now. He had to catch him now but he had to do it without completely destroying him. Whatever this man took had to be valuable and Gohan couldn't risk obliterating it. He raised his hand up and formed a flat disk of energy.

"Kienzan!"

He wound his arm back before thrusting it forward as he threw the disk. It sliced through the air before hitting its mark, cutting down the poor soul as his legs were separated from his body. He cried out in pain as he fell to the ground face first. Gohan soon made his way as the man desperately tried to crawl away. He hated to do this but there was no other way. It was these kinds of enemies that wouldn't cooperate and they were clearly just grunts, following orders. He had to make sure whatever this guy took was retrieved before destroying him. As the man continued to pull himself away with his hands, Gohan used two Ki blasts to destroy his arms. The man was going nowhere. Gohan turned him over as he desperately tried to wriggle away. Gohan began checking his pockets. Nothing. If the man wore a shirt, Gohan would have thoroughly searched it but there was nothing. He looked over to where the man's legs lay. They were starting to decompose already. That was way too quick to make sense. Gohan sighed. Whatever this guy took was no longer there. But where would it have gone? When he caught sight of him earlier, he wasn't holding anything that wasn't easily concealable. So where did it go?

Suddenly there was a large flash of golden light in the distance. It glowed brightly behind the tall towers of the Central Palace. A yellow hue of light crept through the dark night sky as Gohan's eyes gazed upon it. The light didn't fade. Instead it seemed to flicker, fluctuating between getting lighter and darker. Gohan knew that could only mean one thing. A beam struggle. He audibly gulped before his breath became stuck in his throat. Was Videl…

He picked up the now unconscious man by the scruff of his neck as he flew towards the light hoping he'd get there in time. His eyes widened as the light slowly disappeared revealing Videl as she fell to the ground. Beside her, Chiaotzu struggled to pick himself up. A quick flash of light flashed through the air heading straight for two spectators. Without thinking, Gohan threw down the man in his grasps and jolted towards them to intercept the blast. With a swift swing of his right hand he batted it away, sending it flying into the sky before it exploded in a bright shower of light. He looked down at the Ox King and King Furry who both breathed a sigh of relief.

"Are you okay?" Gohan asked.

"We are, thank you." King Furry responded.

Gohan smiled at them before he levitated down to Videl who was straining to make it back onto her feet. Just as her legs gave out she was caught by the steady hands of Gohan.

"Hey there." she managed to cough out.

"Hey." he said with a smile.

She was so tired. That was her first real experience with a fight using Ki and it drained so much out of her.

"Are they okay?" she asked, her head hung low as she looked at the ground.

"Yeah. They're okay." Gohan replied "You did well."

A dry chuckle escaped Videl's lips.

"I guess. I got careless at the end."

She looked up at Gohan. Her eyes were getting watery.

"Hey no…" he began "You did great. A lot better than I did when I first learnt about Ki."

"I almost hurt people standing by though…"

"Don't think like that. You did what you had to do."

Videl gave him a weak smile. He was right but she couldn't help but feel a bit down. King Furry and the Ox King soon made their way to the couple as Videl rested against Gohan's shoulder.

"Did you find out what they were after?" King Furry asked.

"No," Gohan said "When I finally chased down that guy he didn't have anything on him. It doesn't make any sense. There's nowhere for him to hide anything and he never made it out of the castle grounds."

"I see…" King Furry said solemnly "I'll have my staff search the King's Tower thoroughly to see what's missing."

"Still, I wonder what they could be after and why they did it during a busy event such as tonight." the Ox King said.

"Maybe they figured with everyone's attention being on the ball, they could slip in and get away quietly." Videl commented.

"Quietly probably isn't the word to describe what just happened." Gohan quipped.

He turned to look at where he had dropped his target. He was gone.

"Wait where…" he began before he saw a pile of goo beside a nearby fountain.

"Is this… him?"

"Is what him?" the Ox King asked.

Gohan moved towards it with Videl still leaning against him. He bent down a little, running his finger along the slop.

"I think I dropped the guy around here when I went to deflect that blast but… he's not here and he couldn't have gone anywhere without his limbs."

"Do you think the water did something? Or something happened to his constitution that made his body turn into… this?" Videl asked.

"Perhaps," Gohan replied "I'll probably need a few samples collected so we can analyse it. Maybe figure out who these guys are."

"I'll have some of my staff handle that." King Furry said.

"Thanks." Gohan responded with a smile.

"Regardless, you two should probably retire for the evening. I'm sure you're very tired." King Furry said.

"Right," Gohan replied "We'll just go to our rooms then."

"I'll send someone to fetch you guys for tomorrow's luncheon."

Gohan nodded as he began to make his way back inside with Videl latched onto his arm. King Furry and the Ox King followed behind, on their way to give commands to the guards who hadn't been incapacitated. The night air was quiet, the whispered murmurs of the partygoers inside the hall hushed by its proud walls. A single figure sat in the middle of the courtyard, still panting for air.

"I'm okay too, ya know." Chiaotzu said.

There was no one around to respond.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

I apologize that this chapter's been quite a bit late. Just been busy with other things and distractions. It seems November's a slow month for GhVi fics, no? This chapter was a lot harder for me to write than the other ones. I think action scenes are a lot more difficult since you're trying to explain what's going on in a way that you think readers will be able to follow along without it being either repetitive "kick punch blast block" or a simple statement like "then he fired the blast and won". Hopefully you guys were able to get a decent picture of what I had in mind with these fights. I hope I improve on that in the future.

The plot is definitely thickening now with the main antagonist for this story now playing their hand. The Kiss from last chapter will be addressed later... or maybe it won't. Our two protagonists are pretty awkward when it comes to love and romance after all. ;)

EleazarTheUnforgotten, thanks for thinking that! I do admit that I was a bit scared it'd seem too cliche and though I do also indulge myself in those kinds of scenes from time to time, I didn't want to just write something that had been repeated so often.

QueenKeesie, that's totally fine! I'm glad to hear you're still reading and enjoying it.

thewhittywhy, thank you for that! I hope you enjoy the future chapters.

Mr. Me2, there was actually one guy that picked up on it but sent it via PM instead of a review. I do have plans for her in the future but she probably won't be a huge part of this current story. Perhaps in a future arc or sequel. I would like to think that Dende does hear prayers from time to time since he does watch over the earth but isn't the type to directly intervene. I know he's shown as a massive troll in a lot of DBZ fics but I don't think that's really his character. He's asexual but I think he has enough tact to know not to blurt it out. Or maybe he will, who knows.  
I'm glad you enjoyed that small detail! It was always something I had done during my proms/formals or if I were attending a fancy event with a date. She honestly could have flown up but would you be in the right sort of mind around the person you were beginning to become more attracted to by the day who looked quite dashing dressed up?  
Yeah Chiaotzu was only the emperor in an old DB movie but I felt it was a role that could've been expanded upon. There was never really any expansions to the world building of DBZ that wasn't really related to Saiyans or Other World Gods so I wanted to mess around with that a bit. I guess you could sort of see it as an AU since the Ox Kingdom isn't really a thriving nation anymore in Canon.  
I don't actually have a Beta reader. It's something I've been meaning to get around to for a while but haven't been sure of how to go about it. I do have a friend that reads it whenever she can but I suppose someone more into the whole writing thing would be better. Thank you for your suggestions though.

fkanything, ahaha focus on your studies, my dude! I'm glad you enjoyed it and I too have binged read fics when I should be doing more productive things. I won't be upset if you don't read for a bit to focus on real life.

Guest, I did realize that I had been writing more on Videl's side of things when it came to feelings so I'll definitely try to address Gohan's more. Oh and Sanga! I did want a love rival that wasn't Lime or Erasa and thought of a unique way of including that. Hopefully you enjoy my plans with her. Barry Kahn might appear again in the future but he was only just a cameo I thought would be fun.

cc6512, I'm glad I could make you laugh! Yeah that's true since it's just a bed for sleeping but you know how awkward these two can get. It'll probably end up a bigger issue than it should be.

In terms of having a Beta reader, I am open to people putting themselves forward for it. If you want to give it a go, let me know! I'm not all that sure how to go about things like this so feel free to shoot me a PM if you're interested.

As always, thank you everyone for reading, favouriting, following, reviewing and such. I honestly didn't expect to get over 300 followers. Thanks again, guys!


	20. Chapter 20 - Heroes

**Chapter 20: Heroes**

Gohan stirred as his eyes slowly began to open. The sun had only started to rise as the warm glow peeked through the royal blue curtains. Though it was only morning now, this was the fourth time Gohan had woken up that night. When they had gone to bed, Gohan had expected a massively awkward occurrence between him and Videl but the fact that the Satan girl was extremely exhausted threw those ideas out the window. Barely having enough energy to get changed out of her torn dress and into something a little more respectable, as soon as her body flopped onto the soft mattress she was straight to dreamland. The awkward part of Gohan wanted to make a big deal out of it but he was tired as well. Not physically as the fight hadn't used up as much energy as his previous bouts did but he was pretty drained mentally. Tonight had been quite the mental rollercoaster. From seeing Videl all dolled up to their dance on the ballroom floor to the melee with the mysterious fighters. And the kiss. Gohan was a little thankful that Videl was too tired to discuss it. They were just starting to get along and he had to go and do something like that.

He had rested his head on what he felt was the firmest pillow and positioned his body as far away from Videl's as he could without falling off the bed. He didn't want to invade her personal space again and figured she'd chew him out for it once she was rested. Soon his eyes began to shut and his sleep was fairly peaceful until he was woken up by something jostling beside him. Two rather soft tendrils wrapped themselves around his arm. It was still dark out then but the dim glow of the bedside lamp illuminated the reason he woke up. Videl had unconsciously snuggled up beside him in her sleep. Her face seemed quite content, using his limb as a body pillow as the heat from her body began to permeate itself up his arm and all over his face. Gohan moved his arm to nudge her lightly. The black haired girl stirred and turned over facing away from him. The Saiyan breathed a sigh of relief before closing his eyes once more. Sleep soon took him until he woke up once more. This time the arms weren't around his own. Though she wasn't directly against his body, her arm was draped across his chest. Gohan froze, not knowing what to do. She'd probably kill him (not that she could physically hurt him) if she found them like this. Though extremely embarrassed at the situation, he couldn't help but enjoy the feeling of Videl's arm around him. Still, he probably shouldn't be trying to make the most of what was happening. With delicate movements he held onto her arm and gently threw it to the side as she turned over once more.

"Phew…" he exhaled as Videl continued to slumber.

It seemed that she was either still extremely tired or was just a generally heavy sleeper. Regardless, Gohan closed his eyes once more and fell asleep until he was woken up once more. His eyes slowly opened to see a mass of black hair right below his face. There was an arm around him again but this time… this time there was also a leg.

"Oh lord…" he mumbled as he felt something else against him.

The complete body of Videl Satan had snuggled up against him in her sleep and he could feel her entire softness. The warmth of her embrace began to engulf Gohan's right side. And yet, he froze. He could feel her squirming a little, attempting to get closer to him. Who knew that the strong willed and brash heroine of Satan City was the cuddling type? It wasn't like Gohan wasn't used to sleeping next to people that happened to get close. Growing up he had shared a room with Goten until recently and the little tyke had a habit of crawling into his older brother's bed. And Trunks used to do the same whenever he'd sleep over the Son house. But this was different. This was a girl. Not a girl like Marron who was basically his little sister. This was a beautiful young woman who Gohan was beginning to become quite attracted to. He was tempted to push her towards her side of the bed but with how tonight had gone, she would just snuggle right back up to him. And so he relented though if he were honest with himself, the feeling was nice. The thought that it was something he could get used to crossed his mind. He could feel her face nuzzling against his chest. Though it should have been uncomfortable, there was a feeling of love in it. Maybe she was doing it in her unconscious mind but having her there just felt right.

 _'I mean… She's the woman I'm marrying, right?' Gohan_ thought _'These things are going to happen in the future…'_

And so here he was in the early hours of morning light, waking up as Videl's sleeping form lay still against his larger frame. He glanced down at her. Her face was still positioned against his chest as her own torso gently heaved in steady breathing. There was a content smile on her lips, as if this were the most calming place to be and her arm was still strewn against his broad chest. A few stray stands of hair lingered over her face as the rest of her hair flowed gently onto her shoulders. Gohan couldn't help but smile. As cute as the twin tail look was, he really liked her hair down. Honestly, he would probably like any look on her. Something about her face told him that she'd look great with short hair too. He couldn't help himself but he gingerly brushed the hair off her face with his fingers, taking great care not to wake the sleeping girl. It didn't work.

"Mmm…" Videl groaned.

 _'Crap!'_ Gohan swore as she began to wake up.

Ever slowly she began to stir as the arm that was around Gohan moved to rub her eyes.

 _'Crap crap crap!_ ' Gohan began to panic.

How was he going to get out of this? He began to try and move away but her arm fell back down and grasped around his shoulder. Just as he tried to motion himself away she moved towards him more, almost pushing off the edge of the bed.

"Mmm comfy pillow…" she mumbled.

Gohan sighed. Perhaps he'd just have to tough this out until he got the opportunity to get out of bed. He hoped to Dende that she wouldn't wake up soon.

* * *

The sun sent rays of light that shone through the atrium, sending waves of warmth onto Gohan's body as he sat in the middle of the room. It was almost time for their luncheon with King Furry. Videl was currently getting ready, yelling at Gohan to leave the room so she could get changed in peace. Though he was unsure why, she could've just gone to the bathroom or something. It was big enough for comfort but whatever. Girls were difficult. It took a few minutes but she finally came out.

"Sorry for taking so long." he heard her say.

Gohan expected to see her in her usual get up of a baggy t shirt and bike shorts but when he turned around he found that she had actually dressed for the occasion. It wasn't extravagant or formal like the dress she wore last night but it certainly made her look beautiful. She wore a white t shirt that had been tucked into the front of her black slacks, its waistline well above her hips. Over the plain shirt was a navy blue blazer. Blue seemed to suit her quite well in his opinion. It wasn't bright like her eyes but it made her beautiful nonetheless.

"You uh… you look good." he mumbled.

The compliment caused her to fluster just a tiny bit as she desperately tried to hide the blush. She forced the smile that had been forming on her face into a more familiar smirk. Though she felt she had to return the compliment. Gohan did look good as well even if his outfit was extremely simple too. There was just something about the simple black pants and white button up shirt he was wearing. Heck he wasn't even wearing a tie. Maybe his outfit was too simple? Why was she over thinking this now?

"Y-you also l-look good." she managed to say.

He merely smiled at her.

 _'Damn you, Gohan! You could at least blush too! Stupid Saiyan!'_ Videl mentally yelled.

"Shall we go?" Gohan asked.

"R-right!"

As Gohan began to walk towards the exit Videl stopped him.

"Hey Gohan? Are you sure nothing happened when we were sleeping?" she asked.

"Why do you ask that?" Gohan returned.

"Err well you were like really distant this morning. I didn't snore did I?"

Gohan shook his head violently.

"No no! Nothing at all. You didn't snore! Ahehehehe!" he awkwardly laughed.

Videl looked at him confused for a second before shrugging it off. At least she didn't snore or anything. Hopefully she didn't do anything else that would be considered embarrassing. She decided not to pry as the two began to make their way to the western courtyard where their luncheon was going to be held. Her eyes couldn't help but linger towards the man beside him. Were they really just going to ignore what happened last night? Before the whole skirmish with those weird thugs. She raised her fingers up to her lips. She could never forget a feeling like that. His firm lips against her own. The sensation of losing every breath in her body as if he had sucked it up with his mouth before returning it and giving her life. She closed her eyes and couldn't help but want it again. Suddenly she felt herself bump into something. Her eyes opened to see the broad back of Gohan Son in her way.

"Hey! Why'd you stop?" she yelled.

He turned around and began to sheepishly rub the back of his neck.

"Err…" Gohan mumbled.

"What's wrong?" Videl asked.

"I forgot which way we have to go."

She damn well nearly fell on the floor.

* * *

It took them a while but they finally located the correct courtyard with Videl expressing annoyance that Gohan forgot both Lime and Siri's instructions on where to go. The open courtyard was made of white stone lined with tall cypress trees on freshly trimmed lawns. There was a marquee set up towards the end overlooking a set of ponds and fountains. It looked like something straight out of a fairy tale. Videl sighed. It seemed like everyone was already there and were currently waiting for them. From what Videl could see, this luncheon was going to be a small affair that comprised of the Central Kingdom Royal Family and the Ox Kingdom Royal Family. A part of her almost felt out of place when she remembered that she was basically already part of the latter group. There was only about 7 months until it was official.

As they neared the marquee her eyes met Lime's who gave her a rather amused smirk. Oh god that girl was going to tease them for being late again. They bowed apologies for being late before sitting down in the two remaining seats. Across from Videl and Gohan's seats were the King's two daughters with the Ox King and Lime closer towards King Furry and his wife.

"Shall we get started?" King Furry asked.

Within seconds, waiting staff brought a multitude of dishes to the table for all the guests. Videl could see a drip of drool on the side of Gohan's mouth. She elbowed him in the side.

"Hey, make sure you don't eat too much, okay?" she whispered.

"How much is too much?" he pouted.

"Knowing you? Everything." she said rather bluntly.

He grumbled before agreeing. It would be rather rude to eat like a Saiyan in front of such dignified people. At least Gohan had better control over his Saiyan appetite compared to his Father and Goten. The exchanged caused the Ox King and Lime to chuckle to themselves. It seemed that Videl already had Gohan on a tight leash. Everyone began to eagerly eat though Videl had to keep reminding Gohan not to get into his usual eating habits as the young man kept forgetting.

 _'He's lucky Siri isn't here.'_ she remarked.

At least she had slowly began eating in a more dignified way, compared to how she was as a child. She wasn't sure if it was all the lessons she had with Siri or if she was simply just maturing. As she went to take another bite she noticed one of King Furry's daughters looking at her. The young girl turned away as soon as her eyes met Videl. The Satan heiress brushed it off and continued to eat, occasionally listening in to the conversations around the table. In particular she took great interest in discussions that Queen Fleecy had with Lime. It seemed that the Queen did a lot of work behind the scenes in running their country. Videl greatly admired that in the older woman. In the corner of her eye she could notice that same daughter looking at her. Every time Videl would look at her she'd either turn away or pretend like she was eating. It was starting to bother Videl a little but she didn't want to cause a scene. As the majority of the food disappeared, King Furry spoke up.

"Now you're probably wondering why I asked for you to attend this luncheon." he began "It wasn't just to sample our great food, ahahaha!"

He continued to laugh at his own joke with others around the table awkwardly joining in. His wife and children mainly shook their heads at him though he paid them no mind. He continued to speak as he waved an attendant over.

"Just over two decades ago a young boy saved not only myself and this city but the world. Sadly he never came around to receive this. You have my condolences for his passing."

The attendant brought forward a velvet case and opened it revealing two medals connected to two strips of striped fabric. The stripes were red and black held by a golden bar decorated with five small rubies. The medal itself was of gold with silvery blue spokes extending out and a sapphire star with five points. It glimmered softly underneath the light of the sun. King Furry stood up and picked one of the medals.

"I hereby bestow the highest honour of the Blue Star Medal to Goku Son for his defeat of King Piccolo, to be collected posthumously by his son Gohan.

The King bowed and held out the medal towards Gohan. The young man was unsure what to do but smiled and bowed back, grasping the medal with two hands. It was to celebrate his Father's achievement after all. His mother would love that. Before he could sit back down King Furry procured the remaining medal from the case and walked back to Gohan.

"This one is different as the recipient is alive and well." the King said "Seven years ago another calamity made itself known to the world before it was defeated by another young warrior."

He stepped in front of Gohan and moved to place it on the breast of the young prince's shirt.

"I hereby bestow the highest honour of the Blue Star Medal to Gohan Son for his defeat of the monster Cell."

Gohan's eyes widened as the King pinned the medal on him. He could see Videl's face in a similar expression of surprise. They knew? Gohan looked to his Grandfather and Lime who shared an amused look. Gohan turned back to the King and bowed. Though he wanted to deny the honour claiming that it wasn't that much of an achievement and that he had help he couldn't bring himself to deny it. At least his mother would be proud. She'd most likely hang the two somewhere in their living room for all visitors to see. The King motioned the attendant to bring the case to Gohan so that he could store them during travel. As Gohan collected it his body turned away from Videl's, missing the drop in mood in the girl.

She was happy for him. Proud even. It was as the King said. Both Gohan and his Father had received the highest of honours in the world. They were heroes. They should be celebrated as heroes and yet she couldn't help but feel a little down about it. The King knew that her Father was a phony. That he had claimed credit over someone else's victory. They knew that she wasn't the daughter of the World Saviour. No, instead she was to marry the true saviour. In some people's eyes that must have made her look like some sort of glory seeking gold digger. But that wasn't true. All she wanted to be was a hero. She grew up with the aim of becoming a hero like her Father but that was proven to be false. Several months ago she met a true hero who, despite the words said about him befriended her. Then he became her fiancé. He was so accepting over her and her willingness to improve. She just wanted to be a hero like him.

But her own accomplishments paled in contrast to his. While she may have saved lives in Satan City he had saved the world numerous times. While she had only begun putting on her white belt in Satan Style martial arts he had already fought intergalactic warriors. She knew it was wrong to feel like this. She should just be happy for Gohan. He was amazing after all. As Gohan closed the velvet case containing his Father's medal he turned towards Videl and smiled. She forced herself to smile back, giving him a thumbs up.

As the party from the Ox Kingdom moved to depart Videl noticed the girl looking at her once more. She looked down at her feet and mumbled something that Videl couldn't hear. Queen Fleecy walked closer and gave her daughter a light push.

"Go on." she said.

Videl recognized the girl to be Princess Messy, the younger of King Furry's two daughters. The young princess held her phone in her two paws. She looked up at Videl. The Satan Heiress could see the nervousness in Princess Messy's eyes.

"Um Pr-Princess Videl?" Messy managed to say "D-do you think y-you can take a ph-photo with me?"

Videl looked at the girl with confused eyes.

"I'm not a princess." she corrected.

"Oh! I'm sorry!" Messy apologized "It's just you're with Prince Gohan and he's a Prince and you're going to marry him so um… ahh what am I saying?"

Videl smiled and took the phone from the Princess. She opened up the camera app and aimed it at both of them.

"Make sure to smile, okay?" Videl cheerfully asked.

"Mm!" Messy nodded eagerly.

Videl put her arm around Messy's shoulder startling the girl a little as Videl pulled her into frame. They both smiled as Videl took several photos. She handed the phone back to Messy who began to look through them. Videl couldn't help but feel a little lighter due to the girl's infectious enthusiasm. The smile on her cute face was adorable.

"Thank you!" she beamed.

Videl merely nodded as the girl clasped the phone happily in her hands. Queen Fleecy looked on beside them with a smile.

"I'm gonna show Papa!" Messy announced before running off towards her Father.

"Thank you for humouring my daughter." Queen Fleecy said softly.

"It was no big deal." Videl replied, shrugging the woman off.

Fleecy smiled softly.

"It is to Messy." she affirmed "She considers you her hero."

Videl looked at the older woman in surprise. A princess considered her… a hero? Queen Fleecy continued.

"She's always watching videos of your heroics in Satan City. Even has one of those promotional posters they made of you for the Junior Tournaments up on her wall."

Videl almost groaned at the memory of those posters. While her father ate up all those opportunities and events, Videl always hated the attention it gave her. She could live with having her face on posters just to display that she would be participating but when she turned 16, they asked her to pose for more risqué ones. Suffice to say those people never tried again after she was done. That wasn't what she was about. The fact that young girls like Messy looked up to her were reason enough.

"It's not that impressive. I was just trying to help out." Videl waved off.

"Perhaps not to some." Queen Fleecy said "Considering who your fiancé is but still. A life saved is a life saved."

Videl turned to see the Queen smiling at her. The older woman spoke again.

"And if you were to inspire young girls out there like my daughter then I'd say it's pretty impressive."

With that, the woman curtly bowed her head before walking towards her husband leaving Videl to her thoughts.

 _'Am I really… a hero?'_ she wondered.

* * *

It had been quite late in the afternoon when they had returned to Mount Frypan. When they did Videl noticed that Sanga wasn't present in the welcoming committee. For some reason that felt like a mini victory to her. As they were already quite tired from travelling, not to mention the events that had transpired over the weekend, Videl elected to sleep at the castle tonight. She could always just get up early to fly to school. Gohan meanwhile chose to return home as he wanted to show the Blue Star medals to his mother. Videl understood though felt a little annoyed that Gohan would ditch her like that. She supposed she couldn't blame him. Part of her was just not looking forward to returning home to face her father. She had promised Gohan that she'd make an effort to talk to him when they got back. The boy could forgive her if she wanted one more day to put it off.

Class that next day had been rather tedious. Between having to go back to sitting and listening to teachers drone on and putting up with Erasa and Sharpner's constant questions, Videl was almost looking forward to the end of the day. The only problem was the end of the day meant facing her Father. She was hoping Gohan would have forgotten it but as soon as he met up with her that morning he told her not to forget. Why was he so adamant on this? At the end of the school day she carefully dodged more of the blonde interrogation and met up with Gohan on the school's roof.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

She fake pouted at him, hoping that would appeal to him somehow.

"Do we have to?" she groaned.

"Videl…" Gohan sighed "You can't keep putting this off."

"But-" she began before he cut her off.

"But what if you push him away, hating him and regretting it for the rest of your life?"

She stopped in her tracks and thought for a moment. What Gohan was saying was true. Her Father was the only family member she had left. Yes they had drifted apart these last few years but growing up, they were incredibly close. It was because of him that Videl got into martial arts. She wanted to just be like him. He was her hero after all. She nodded and began to float in the air. Gohan scanned the area quickly for any lingering presences before following her. They disappeared into the sky, on their way towards the Satan Mansion. Within a few minutes they had arrived. Videl had been feeling quite good about her flying progress. She wasn't as fast as Gohan and the others but she could make up long distances in shorter amounts of time. She just had no time to reflect on her improvement.

They used the front door with Janice greeting the pair at the entrance hall. She directed the two towards the eastern sitting room where Hercule had been lounging. As they neared it they noticed that the door was open with the faint flickering of light dancing in the shadows of the doorway. Videl peered in to see her Father in one of his armchairs, eyes fixated on the fireplace. She noticed something completely different to him. There were no screens replaying his past glories nor was there a glass of whiskey or rum beside him as she had been accustomed to seeing. Instead there was a coffee mug, barely touched. It had probably already gone cold. She pushed the door open to allow herself and Gohan in.

"Dad?" she asked, announcing her arrival.

The surly man was startled for a moment, turning his head in surprise before relaxing after seeing the pair.

"Oh Videl, Gohan. How was your trip?" he asked.

"It was good." Videl said bluntly.

She didn't particularly want to reveal anything more than she felt she needed to. She noticed Gohan's eyes lingering on her, as if they were telling her to behave. Hercule sighed, trying to avoid seeming like he was anxious though Gohan could see the tightness in which the older man's large hands gripped the armrests of his chair. For a moment, Gohan understood what was going through the Champ's head. This conversation would decide how his relationship with his daughter would be. Potentially for the rest of their lives.

"Uh, would you like to sit down?" Hercule suggested.

Videl merely puffed a breath of air and sat down on the couch adjacent from Hercule's armchair. Gohan sheepishly muttered a word of thanks before taking his place beside his fiancée. Hercule looked up to say something but stopped himself. His eyes stayed on Videl but she didn't meet his gaze. Instead she kept her eyes on the flicker of flame dancing within the fireplace. Hercule's eyes drooped as he turned to Gohan who merely smiled apologetically. He didn't deserve the boy's kindness. The trio sat there in silence for several minutes before Videl finally spoke up.

"Why did you do it?" she asked.

Her Father lowered his head in shame. Whatever excuses he made wouldn't be enough for his daughter to forgive him. He gripped the armrest a little tighter at the thought. No, he had to be truthful and tell her everything.

"Because I'm a selfish human being." he admitted.

The admission caught both Videl and to a lesser extent Gohan off guard, especially because of how genuine it felt. For the past near decade, Hercule Satan had been known to own an ego the size of the planet which the populace feeding it.

"Wh-why?" Videl asked, her voice cracking a little.

Hercule stood up and walked towards the fireplace, his eyes firmly fixed on the hearth.

"Do you remember that day? When I left for Cell's Arena you cheered me on as I exited the door."

Videl remembered that day though not as vividly as she would think. She only remembered key details. Who had fought that day. How well and unwell they had fought. Her Father, Goku and Gohan.

"The way you looked at me. The words you told me." Hercule spoke as his voice croaked "'You said, I'll be cheering for you, Dad! You're my hero!'"

Videl could feel her eyes begin to water. There it was again. The word "Hero". She began to remember that day. What's more, that wasn't the only day she had said that. Growing up she often told her Father how much she idolized him.

"After your Mother passed, all I ever wanted to do was be your hero. The way she died still eats me up inside and I never wanted you to feel like I'd just stand by." he continued.

"But what have you been doing this whole time?!" Videl suddenly roared, jumping out of her seat "The past 7 years all you've done is drink, mope and fuck other women as you please! How is that living up to Mum's memory?"

"Videl…" Hercule said as he turned in horror to see tears flowing freely down her cheeks.

"Do you think you could just do whatever you wanted because the Guardian of the Earth asked you to claim credit?" she continued to yell "Do you think that taking on a lie makes you a hero?!"

By the end of her tirade she was out of breath, panting for air. Hercule merely held his head down, his eyes firmly fixated on the ground. Videl's voice was breaking.

"I did look up to you." she croaked "I still do."

Gohan couldn't bear to hear the sound of his fiancée crying but he had to keep himself from interrupting. They had to sort this out themselves.

"Why didn't you tell me?" her weak voice asked.

"How could I? How could I tell the daughter that looked up to me so much that I was a fake?" Herucle countered "That I lied about everything. I was a failure."

"I was just happy you made it back in the first place!" Videl screamed.

Hercule looked up at his daughter with surprise in his eyes.

"Yeah, I was proud but deep down I was scared." she admitted "With Mum gone and me having so few friends, you were all I really had left."

"Videl…" Hercule murmured.

"And when you came back claiming victory I was so proud! I couldn't believe that my Dad was the saviour of the world." she continued before gritting her teeth "But then you changed. All you did was sit on your past glories, drinking yourself til you passed out. And I know Mum's been gone for a while but… but…" she sobbed "That doesn't mean you can just run off and fuck any woman that spreads her legs in front of you!"

Hercule hung his head in shame.

"I have no excuses." he merely stated "I guess I was just looking for an escape from things…"

There was a prolonged silence hanging in the air. Both Satans stood on opposite sides of the fireplace, staring into the flames with teary eyes. Gohan sat back on the couch behind them, awkwardly contemplating if he should interject himself in the conversation somehow or leave it to the two to figure out.

"Not everything you did was bad, though…" Videl muttered.

Hercule looked up at his daughter with confused eyes. Was she about to praise something he did? He listened intently as she continued.

"We became so rich that you began donating some of our money to charities and helped contribute to schools and hospitals. For a while I thought you were just trying to pad your popularity. Like you were trying to stay in favour with the people or some way to plaster your name on a building but… I guess I was wrong."

"Videl…" Hercule said as his eyes looked at his daughter in wonder.

"And Gohan…" Videl glanced towards her fiancé "Gohan wasn't ready to be the public's hero just yet. He was still a boy and had just lost his Father."

She gave Gohan a weak smile that he returned in kind.

"If it's any consolation," Gohan interjected "Thank you for taking that burden off my shoulders."

Videl couldn't help but smile a little more as she noticed her Father's eyes widen in surprise at the boy's gratitude. Gohan was as selfless as they come and to thank the person that had taken credit for your accomplishments was the last thing people would have expected even if it was something that was requested of them. Then again, Gohan Son was never one to adhere to simple expectations. He was just so kind, so open minded and forgiving. She couldn't help but feel that maybe that was beginning to rub off on her. That the positives of Gohan Son were starting to change the negatives of Videl Satan. At first the arrangement her Father had brokered with the Ox Kingdom was something that brought about her rage. These days not only had she gotten used to the Ox Prince's presence, he had become a daily part of her life. They would learn together both at school and at the castle. They ate the majority of their meals together and trained together whenever time allowed. Heck just the day before they had even slept in the same bed together.

The thought that her pending marriage to him had been her Father's way of atoning for the slight against Gohan and his family had always stuck with her since she found out. She had been very against it when she first learnt about the arrangement but just when did her stance on it change? Was it when she found out that her friend Gohan was her betrothed Prince? Or was it when she found out he was the mysterious Delivery Boy she had been pining for all these years? Was the long running crush she had for him all these years really influencing her decision or was there something more? He was certainly quite the catch if you thought about it. Disregarding that he was the heir to a kingdom he was already known to be selfless and kind, with a quiet strength that he uses to defend the world. He was also incredibly smart, probably the most intelligent person their age when it came to studies. Being a good looking hero certainly helped.

There it was again. The word hero. Her Father had been her hero growing up but his greatest accomplishment had been a lie. Sure he was strong by normal standards and won those World Martial Arts Tournaments legitimately but compared to Gohan and his friends, both he and Videl paled in comparison. But Gohan and their friends didn't care about that when it came to her.

Though she knew most of them didn't know about the task Piccolo and Dende had given Hercule, they had never treated her based on their perception of her father. Instead they treated her as her own person. The most famous woman in the world Bulma Briefs had been down to earth with her as were the majority of the Ox Royal Family. Even if Chi Chi had a habit of trying to hurry the relationship between her son and Videl, the woman did treat Videl as if she were one of her own and Goten looked up to her like an older sister. Hell, even Vegeta for all his Saiyan pride respected Videl's tenacity even if she were a lowly human that unfortunately spawned from the buffoon's loins. They knew her father was a fake yet never treated her in the same capacity.

They were true heroes and her Father was not. He may have been asked to do so but he had lived comfortably on the plaudits of those lies. The younger version of her thought it was him enjoying the fruits of his labours but as she grew up, she began to see it as disdainful behaviour. But now that she thought on it, she began to think. Was her Father merely drowning his sorrows in alcohol and women? Not that she was excusing him but after the revelation of his lie, she began to notice how miserable he really was. After hearing Gohan's explanation of what had happened (to his knowledge, at least), she began to think maybe her Father's actions weren't completely despicable. What really hurt her however was leaving her in the dark. She lived seven years of her life thinking she would forever be in his shadow. Now she couldn't help but be in Gohan's. But that did get her thinking. Was being influenced by him really bad? And what would Gohan do in her situation. No doubt he'd forgive her Dad and move on from there but she wasn't sure she could fully do that. Her trust had been broken after all.

"Videl, I don't know if you'll ever be able to forgive me for not telling you but…" Hercule began "I'm so sorry for everything. I'm sorry for lying to you. I'm sorry for not giving Gohan and his family the proper acknowledgement. I'm sorry that I wasn't a good enough Father. I'm sorry for not living up to your Mother's love."

Tears fell freely down his stubbled cheeks.

"I will understand if you can't forgive a bad Father…" he softly stated.

Videl moved closer to him.

"Dad… I don't know if I can immediately forgive you." she spoke "But I don't want to live the rest of my life holding a grudge against you."

She glanced at Gohan who had a soft smile on his face. She was taking a page out of his book after all.

"Oh Videl!" Hercule wailed.

He moved in to wrap Videl in a giant embrace but she stepped back away from him.

"We're… we're not…" she stuttered before composing herself "I can't be that loving daughter you want just yet but I'll still be here, Dad."

Hercule seemed disheartened at first but nodded in understanding. At least she wasn't going to cut him out of her life completely. Videl began to walk away before turning back to face her Father.

"The little girl in me still wants you to be that hero, after all."

With that she left the room leaving Hercule and Gohan standing there in silence. As Gohan moved to follow Videl he felt Hercule stand beside him.

"Thank you, Gohan." the older man said.

Gohan merely smiled and bowed his head as he walked out. Hercule sat back down in his recliner and watched the embers flicker about. He didn't deserve Gohan as a son in law but he knew that the young man was having a positive effect in Videl's life. In his as well. Early on Hercule had reservations about the arrangement between the Ox Prince and his Daughter he had to admit, it might be for the best. The two might even fall in love. He couldn't blame Videl if she did. Gohan was a true hero after all.

* * *

"So you want me to analyse this goo?" Bulma asked.

Gohan nodded as he handed the vials containing the mysterious enemy's remains.

"That's right. The base appears to be human but they don't have any readable Ki signatures so they're definitely modified in some way." he explained.

Bulma's brows furrowed as she held a vial up to her eyes to inspect it.

"That doesn't sound good." she commented.

"Yeah…" Gohan sighed "How long do you think it'll take?"

"Well, it depends on how well the compounds have bonded depending on the species or modifications. I'll have to isolate each one individually and cross reference them with what we have in our databases."

"So… I'm guessing it'll take more than a few days?" Gohan asked sheepishly.

Bulma laughed dryly.

"I'm good but I'm not a miracle worker. I'm gonna say it'll probably be a few weeks at most considering how busy I am these days."

"It'll do I guess." Gohan replied as he walked towards the window "Just let me know if you find anything."

With that he jumped through the open window and flew off much to Bulma's chagrin.

"Kami, I wish they'd learn how to use doors like normal people." she huffed in annoyance.

* * *

Videl's eyes slowly opened as the morning light of the sun peered through the curtains of her room at Mt. Frypan. Two weeks had passed since that meeting and while Videl had reached a more amicable relationship with her Father, she still avoided overly familial contact with him, choosing to spend most of her time with Gohan at the castle. At least now she was no longer giving him the silent treatment. She turned to the ticking clock on the bedside table. It was already a few minutes past 9. She quickly stretched her body and walked over to the curtains to let some light in. There had been a storm that passed through the night before and its aftermath could be seen around with large puddles and stray broken branches littering the courtyards. She surveyed the scene for a moment before heading down to the kitchens for breakfast as usual. As she walked through the hallways she came across the door to Gohan's room.

 _'Guess I should see if he's up.'_

She carefully opened the door and peered in. His large bed was empty and made.

 _'Must've gotten up already.'_ she assumed.

Quickly leaving his room, she made her way to the kitchens where she found Lime casually shovelling a bowl of rice porridge into her mouth.

"Oh, morning Videl." she greeted.

"Morning." Videl yawned back "Gohan not here?"

"He flew out like half an hour ago." Lime replied.

"Flew out? Where to?"

"I had a report come in this morning about the storm ravaging a small town near the coast. There weren't any casualties but the damage sounded pretty bad." Lime explained.

Videl sat down across from her.

"Knowing him, he went to go help out in whatever way he can." Videl mused.

A slight smirk graced Lime's lips as she looked knowingly at the dark haired girl.

"You know your man well." Lime joked before continuing her explanation "I would've sent a few of the local militia but Gohan insisted he'd go do it himself since it's not that populated of a place. We'll probably sent a few care packages soon anyways."

Videl looked away with a slight blush on her cheeks. She slowly continued to eat, trying to avoid the playful glances Lime kept giving her. After several minutes of awkward eating, she spoke up.

"So um… where was this small town?" Videl asked.

The auburn haired girl across her pulled her phone out and tapped a few times before bringing up a navigation app.

"Here." Lime pointed out "It's pretty close to the southern coastline near the Horned Forest."

Videl eyed the map on Lime's phone trying to plot her travel path. The town in question was called Skillet. Why were all these places named after cooking wares?

"So I just fly south east from here?" she asked.

"Yeah," Lime replied "It'd only take Gohan a few minutes to get there but I'm guessing at your speed maybe twenty minutes or so?"

"Right, thanks."

"Well, I have to go get some paperwork done." Lime said as she stood up "Have fun helping your boyfee out!"

Videl groaned as the young woman disappeared out the doorway. After finishing up the last spoonfuls of her breakfast and taking a quick shower she opened the doors to her balcony and took off to the skies. She contemplated whether or not she should fly her jetcopter there. She'd probably have to land close by to get into the jetcopter anyways otherwise people would be confused at someone walking by a small town she assumed to be a little out of the way. Though that made her think what in the hell Gohan did. Did he just waltz down there as himself offering help or maybe he changed into his Gold Fighter outfit. Oh how she wished she had one of those. Granted around Satan City she was already known for those heroics but the idea of dressing up to fight alongside Gohan gave her flashbacks to her super heroine dreams as a child. Maybe she could get him to ask Bulma to make something similar for her. It'd certainly prevent situations like the Masquerade Ball where she had to tear her dress for mobility. However that would have to wait til another time.

Deciding that flying there without the aid of her jetcopter would be faster, she took off towards the town of Skillet. While she wasn't as fast as Gohan, she had made vast improvements from when she started learning. Within 20 minutes she was already close to a kilometre away. She quickly got into her jetcopter and took to the skies once again. In all honesty, she felt a little silly for doing that but she couldn't really think of anything else that'd make sense. It wasn't long til she had reached the town. As Lime had described earlier, there was plenty of storm damage that Videl could see. Several houses had their walls collapsed while the nearby forest had a dozen uprooted trees. She set her jetcopter down in an open field beside a large building that had a group of people salvaging resources. They eyed her as she stepped out of the vehicle and decapsulized it. An older woman stepped forward to greet Videl.

"Can we help you?" she asked.

"Uh yeah, is there a young man named Gohan here?" Videl asked.

The woman seemed to perk up at the mention of Gohan. She instantly beamed a smile towards the younger female.

"Oh are you an acquaintance of his? He's such a nice young man." the older woman grinned "He flew in from the city and started helping out wherever he could."

Videl smiled though she tried to hide a hint of a blush forming on her cheeks. Why was she even blushing? All this woman was doing was describing how helpful Gohan had been. Of course he would be. He was just that kind of selfless person. The pink hue on her cheeks didn't go unnoticed however. The woman grinned knowingly at Videl.

"Is he something of yours?" she asked.

Videl tried hard to hide her blush at the woman's question. She wasn't all that sure whether or not she should answer truthfully. While yes Gohan was her fiancé, she didn't know if she had the kind of relationship with him to feel comfortable calling him that. They weren't even boyfriend-girlfriend yet were to be married. Not to mention there was that kiss from that night that they had yet to address. She tried to push that towards the back of her mind as she focused on the people looking at her. At the very least, it seemed like they didn't recognize who she was. It felt nice not to be gawked at wherever she went. However the woman she was speaking to was looking at her at a different way. Videl was about to speak up when another voice called out from a distance away.

"Videl? What are you doing here?"

Both women turned to find Gohan trudging towards them, carrying a large wooden beam on his shoulder. He set it down and walked closer.

"You uh," Videl stammered "You left without saying anything and uh… well…"

She wasn't all that sure where she was leading with this. In the corner of her eye she could see the woman smirking at her. Did it seem like she was being a clingy… significant other? She still didn't know what to refer to their relationship as. Gohan scratched the back of his head as he awkwardly laughed at her.

"Ah sorry hehe, I didn't know if you wanted to come or not." he replied.

"Well it's not like I had anything to do at the-" Videl cut herself off thinking that it might not be a good idea to reveal where they came from just yet "at home."

She then noticed the woman and a few other townspeople looking at their discussion. In fact, the woman's smirk didn't look like it was going to fade.

"So um! What can I do to help?!" she quickly blurted out.

The woman's smirk changed to a softer smile. She motioned towards a group of women who were huddled around several crates thought a select few had been giving her certain looks.

"Some of us girls are sorting through the things that the lads have managed to salvage. Hopefully there's more than enough clothes and essentials to go around." the woman explained.

Videl almost moved to display her displeasure at such a task. It felt a little demeaning to her that she would be relegated to something like that but complaining about it seemed like a bad idea. After all, she came here to give help the town not give them more headaches. She mustered the best smile she could and joined them. The woman that had approached her began to show her what to do. It seemed simple enough to Videl. She merely nodded and began to help the other women that were huddled around.

"Oh the name's Brisket, by the way." the woman said "Gohan called you Videl, right?"

Videl smiled and nodded. It looked like no one here recognized who she was which was fine by her.

"Well, nice to meet you, Videl!" Brisket said with a smile "Thanks for helping out."

With that, the group of women continued sorting through the stacks of clothing with their newest addition. Occasionally Videl noticed Gohan working hard in the corner of her eye, carrying whatever was asked of him. The younger women beside her would also glance at him every now and then, throwing looks of admiration at the half Saiyan.

"He's so strong." Videl heard one of them commented.

"I wonder if he's spoken for." another added.

"I wouldn't mind speaking for him, if you catch my drift." a third said.

For whatever reason, Videl could feel her lips pressing themselves into a thin line as a vein in her forehead lightly throbbed. One of the girls turned to Videl.

"Hey, Videl right?" she asked, making sure she got her name correct.

Videl clenched her teeth as stealthily as she could and nodded.

"That's right."

The girl smiled at remembering her name before asking another question.

"Do… do you know if Gohan has a girlfriend or something?"

A slight puff of air blew through Videl's nose. The other girls looked expectantly at Videl, hoping for her to answer in the negative.

"Actually," Videl began, almost feeling a little perverse "He's engaged."

The three young women all pouted in defeat. Brisket who had been listening along to the conversation kept her eyes on Videl. The Satan Heiress' eyes met the older woman's who gave her a knowing smirk. Videl felt a little embarrassed at the exchange but willed herself to stay composed.

"She must be some amazing girl to lock a guy like him down." one of the girls sighed.

"I bet she's a beautiful princess! Oh how romantic that would be."

"I can just imagine his proposal! Probably like something from a fairy tale!"

Videl's expression changed. A small pit of sadness built up in her stomach. It was the exact opposite of a fairy tale in her eyes. An arranged engagement as a means to make amends for a fortune built on a lie. It wasn't romantic at all. In fact, Videl wasn't quite sure what to make of this romance, if it could even be called that. Sure they shared that one kiss that for some reason they could never talk about and most of their days were spent in the company of each other but… she wasn't sure.

"Say, Videl?" one girl asked "Do you know who it is?"

She looked up to see all the females in the group looking at her with expectant gazes. She blushed lightly at the attention she was being given.

"A-actually um…" Videl stuttered "He's err… th-that, it's actually…"

She trailed off, leading to the younger girls to lean closer towards her, trying to hear the city girl speak. It was then that Brisket decided Videl needed some assistance.

"Alright alright, let's give the poor girl some space." Brisket ordered.

The overeager girls all backed off a little yet kept their eyes fixed on Videl.

"Besides," Brisket continued "I don't think Videl would appreciate all those looks you're giving her fiancé."

The four younger women including Videl all stopped in their tracks and gawked at Brisket.

"So you knew." Videl sighed

"It was fairly obvious from the way you were acting." Brisket smiled.

It was then that the dam broke loose as Videl was bombarded with questions from the curious girls. While Videl had been used to being the center of attention, it had never been about her love life, at least, one that actually had some existing substance about it. After fifteen minutes of questions things had finally quieted down for Videl. She worked diligently beside Brisket who had taken a liking to the younger woman. An hour had passed when a screeching child came running from the nearby forest.

"Help! Help!" he shouted "Can anyone help?!"

Brisket ran over to the screaming boy.

"Slow down, Chuck! What's wrong?" she asked.

"It's Flank! We were playing in the forest when she fell down a ravine and when I went to get help I could hear wolves howling!"

The words caused Videl to stand up and look around.

 _'Crap, Gohan's nowhere around and I don't think he heard.'_

She ran over to Chuck.

"Which way was it?" she asked.

He pointed towards the western end of the forest.

"It's not too far from the waterfall by the Bulla Stream." Chuck explained.

Videl nodded and turned to Brisket.

"Go tell Gohan. He'll be able to find me." she ordered before taking off.

Brisket was about to yell after her but Videl had already bolted to the woods. As she ran through the trees she began to focus her mind.

 _'I hope my Ki sensing skills are good enough…'_

The way Gohan had taught her allowed her to vaguely sense different life-forms in what she could only describe as colours. At least, that was the easiest way her mind could make sense of it. While Gohan could sense Ki constantly as if it were another one of his senses like smell or taste, Videl could only do so when she focused. Around her she could sense various animals, beasts and birds alike. Nearby she could sense what she thought was fish. A stream was most likely nearby. Videl remembered the boy Chuck saying it was near the waterfall by that stream. She ran towards it, using her Ki to propel her forward. She almost catapulted herself into the water had she not stopped her momentum. Quickly pivoting her foot, she raced up stream, reaching out her Ki senses around the area. It took her a moment but she noticed several Kis surrounding another that seemed to flaring in distress.

"There!"

She hovered in the air and thrust herself forward through the trees. Within seconds she reached the ravine. There were four wolves on one side and three on another. She could hear the whimpering of a little girl from within the ravine. One of the wolves had its paw in the ravine, trying to reach out at the girl. Without thinking Videl charged it and knocked it away with a powerful kick. It cried in pain as it was sent flying. Videl peered down into the ravine. It wasn't deep but it was full of jagged edges. At the bottom cowering was a little girl who couldn't have been much older than Goten. Videl had to wonder why kids their age were playing in the forest, at least without supervision. It's not like they had Ki abilities like Goten and Trunks.

"Are you alright?" she called out.

Flank looked up to see Videl looking down at her. She weakly nodded. Something in Videl's senses flared causing her to move to the side as a wolf just barely missed her. Another moved to attack her but was met by a swift roundhouse kick. Two more wolves rushed towards her. Videl jumped to hover in the air to dodge them before sending them backwards with a flurry of kicks. The other wolves began to circle her, seemingly not threatened by the damage she had been doing to their pack.

 _'These wolves are persistent…'_

A loud howl was heard nearby as the wolves continued to surround Videl. In the distance she heard the rustling of leaves. She focused her Ki senses for a moment and realised something bigger was coming her way. A large mass of black fur emerged from the bushes. Videl was met with the sight of large snarling teeth. Her eyes widened at seeing it. It was probably the largest wolf she had ever seen, looking to be at least two metres in length.

"You must be the pack leader." she huffed.

The pack of wolves parted for its leader whose red eyes were firmly fixed on Videl. She sent a small Ki blast at its feet in an attempt to scare it off. Some of the other wolves from the pack were startled by it but the pack leader continued its slow approach. It growled at Videl and jumped to attack her when it was knocked aside by an incoming force.

"Took you long enough." Videl teased.

Gohan chuckled at her.

"Yes well, Brisket and the girls kept trying to give me things they thought would help."

Videl noticed a bag on Gohan's back and eyed it humourously.

"Couldn't go into the forest without essentials from your fanclub, huh?"

"What? What fanclub?!" Gohan cried "What do you mean?"

Videl merely laughed before turning her attention to the wolves that had begun to circle them once again.

"Let's just take care of these guys first."

Gohan nodded at her and flung himself forward, thrusting an open palm at the pack leader amplifying his strike with a gust of Ki. The beast was sent flying back into a tree, breaking its trunk and sending the wooden column towards the ground. Two of the smaller wolves ran off in fright at the display with a third unlucky one forced backwards by another of Videl's sweeping kicks. The rest of the pack screeched in retreat as they disappeared into the forest. A loud boom was heard when the fallen tree was broken away as the pack leader emerged from its remains.

"Tch," Gohan grumbled "Doesn't seem like it's a normal wolf."

"What gave that away?" Videl smirked.

Something on the wolf caught Gohan's eye.

"I've seen plenty of beasts in my time, especially around Mt. Paozu but…" he pointed at the wolf's left foreleg "This one's been experimented on."

Videl looked at where Gohan's gaze was. Around the wolf's foreleg was a metal circlet. From what Videl could see there were a set of numbers. The wolf howled though no other wolves came to its aid. Gohan looked directly into its eyes.

"It's in pain." he murmured.

It howled once more, sounding more like a cry out for help.

"We should put it out of its misery." Videl said.

Gohan nodded. He lowered his Ki and walked calmly towards the wolf. Sensing no ill intentions from Gohan, the wolf bowed its head and lowered its guard. Gohan kneeled beside it as the wolf laid its head on his lap. It whimpered once, nuzzling its large head against the Ox Prince. Videl looked at the exchange from a far, noticing the gentle nature between Gohan and beast. He rested his hand on the wolf's neck.

"Be at peace." he whispered.

The wolf whined for a moment before it was silenced as Gohan sent a single stream of Ki through the wolf's head, killing it in an instant. As its body ceased to move, Gohan stroked its head a few times before moving down to its arm. A swift pull broke it off the wolf's limb.

"EX-53B…" he read.

He shoved the piece of metal into his pocket and walked over to Videl who was peering down into the ravine.

"Oh right, the little girl." Gohan remembered.

As he walked over to Videl, she jumped into the ravine, startling Gohan for a moment. He looked over the edge to see her hanging down the side with her arm out towards the little girl. For a moment he wondered why she wouldn't just hover down but on second thought he figured that it might scare the little girl who already seemed terrified. Videl reached her open hand out towards the girl who recoiled for a moment before moving towards Videl slowly. Her little fingers eventually made their way to Videl's hand and gripped it tight. Gently Videl took hold of the girl and lifted her up to her body. The girl wrapped her free arm around Videl's shoulders and held tightly before Videl pulled themselves up.

"Wh-who are you?" the girl asked once she was on solid ground.

"My name is Videl." Videl replied "Are you okay, Flank?"

The girl's eyes widened at Videl knowing her name but nodded weakly.

"Mmm, I'm okay." she said softly.

"Are you two alright?" Gohan asked.

He made a beeline towards the two girls before noticing the younger girl hide behind Videl.

"It's alright, Flank. He's a friend." Videl smiled.

The girl held her grip on Videl but softened a little at the older girl's words.

"Do you know which way back?" Videl asked Gohan.

"Yeah."

The two began walking back towards the village with Videl carrying Flank on her back. The little girl didn't seem like she would let go of Videl any time soon so Videl decided to indulge her a little. After all, having to experience something traumatic like a wolf attack was probably frightening for a little girl like her. It wasn't long til they reached the town's outskirts. Chuck, Brisket and a few others were there waiting.

"Flank! You're okay!" Chuck cried as he ran towards them.

Videl set her down as she was met by a hug from the boy. Brisket walked over and smiled at the two.

"Are any of you hurt?" she asked.

"We're alright, thanks." Gohan replied.

Videl smiled back and was about to walk back towards the town centre before she felt something tugging at her shirt. She looked down to see Flank looking up at her. Without warning the girl wrapped her arms around Videl's lower body.

"Th-thank you." the girl mumbled as Videl's shirt muffled her face.

"It-it's okay!" Videl said.

She placed her hands on the girl who looked up at Videl with admiring eyes. Videl smiled. At least she seemed to be in better spirits. Flank looked right into Videl's eyes. There was a slight tinge of pink on her cheeks.

"Wh-when I grow up, I want to be strong like you!" she announced "That way, I won't be scared of things like wolves again."

Videl looked at the girl and shook her head.

"No, you're already plenty strong." Videl said.

Flank smiled but shook her head.

"Not as strong as you, Miss Videl!" Flank argued "When I'm bigger I'm going to be as strong and beautiful as you are."

Videl blushed at the attention Flank was giving her. The girl's smile grew wider.

"You're my hero after all." Flank added.

The word 'Hero' caught Videl by surprise. Everything recently had been revolving around that word for her. Perhaps she was seen as a hero by some people. Princess Messy, Flank, maybe more out there saw her as a hero. The pride she felt well up in her cause a few tears to form in her eyes. She felt a little silly in all honesty. Maybe she should stop comparing herself to him.

"Are you okay, Miss Videl?" Flank asked.

Videl wiped the stray tears from her eyes and nodded.

"Yeah," she breathed "I'm alright."

She looked around to see the townspeople that had gathered giving her happy looks. Even the three girls that had been asking her about Gohan were now looking at her with admiration. It felt kind of nice, in all honesty. Gohan watched the exchange with a smile. From what he could sense from Videl, her Ki seemed to be at ease. There was something else eating at him though. He pulled the metal circlet from his pocket. Was there a connection between this wolf and the mysterious fighters that had been appearing recently?

* * *

Author's Notes.

Whew I've finally updated! Sorry that this had taken a lot longer than normal though. With the holidays, ShuMako week and other things in my life, the times I were able to properly sit down to write this wasn't as frequent as I wanted. I also found it a little harder to write certain sections as more angsty/hurt/comfort stuff isn't really my forte as opposed to humour and fluff. I hope that I was able to convey how Videl felt during these exchanges. I also wanted to keep the running theme about heroes and where Videl felt her standing was among them so hopefully that worked out well.

As for future updates, I'm hoping I won't take as long with the next one as there are other things I want to write as well but I'm definitely going to try and finish this and not leave it in limbo! Hopefully the next chapter will be done within a month or two.

Aaron Leach/RKF22, thanks for always supporting my dudes

EleazerTheUnforgotten, yea it's hard to write "fodder" enemies considering the power scale in Dragon Ball where most people would just get obliterated by a single Ki blast. I had to find away to make them challenging enough without breaking any preset rules or whatever but I guess it wouldn't matter too much since this is fanfiction. I actually took enemies from a Dragon Ball movie and "upgraded" them in a sense.

iMysticalDBZ, hope you enjoy this chapter too!

HOLLOWTGH, little known fact. :^)

Masquer Q, ikr! No love for the pale boy.

dbzgtfan2004, thanks for your words! GhVi forever indeed!

SaintMichael95, yeah my earlier chapters have quite a few mistakes which I need to get around to fixing. I'm actually a native english speaker lol so yeah, that's not always a perfect solution but another set of eyes could definitely help. I'm alright with the skimming of the backstory. It's totally understandable because its something that all DBZ fans know but part of me felt like I had to do some sort of explanation there in character.

Enforcer209, thanks! Hope you're enjoying it.

I also want to say, almost 250 favourites and 400 followers is incredibly humbling! I'm really glad that so many of you are giving this story a read and like it enough to follow or favourite. It means a lot to me. As always, leave a review on the things you liked, what you think could have been done differently or what you think might happen in the future. I'm always down to read them!

If you'd like to follow me on Twitter for any updates or posts, you can do so MadmanJrs.


	21. Chapter 21 - Dating Your Fiancée

**Chapter 21: Dating Your Fiancée**

The cold wind of the winter air would have sent a chill up Videl's spine had Gohan not taught her how to keep herself warm with Ki. Beside her was her best friend Erasa who was not as lucky. The usually bubbly blonde was eating her lunch grumpily as she glared at Gohan who sat across them eating his lunch as he usually did. She was even cursing Sharpner who got away snow free due to having a baseball team meeting despite it being a summer sport.

"I still don't know why you want to eat lunch up here when it's freezing." Erasa huffed.

"Itsh'a only plashe I can eash like dish." Gohan replied with his mouth filled to the brim with Chi Chi's homemade cooking.

"Swallow before you speak, Gohan." Videl said shaking her head as she took a bite of her own Son household provided lunch.

"Sorry!" Gohan replied after a big gulp.

The exchange caused Erasa to look at the two with a raised eyebrow. In the past few months, Erasa had seen such a change in her best friend. Prior to Gohan's arrival, Videl kept mostly to herself and could only really call Sharpner and herself a friend. That was mainly due to them growing up together and after the Cell Games, the dark haired girl could easily tell when people were trying to be her friend for dubious reasons. This and the weight of fame that came with her Father's victory at the Cell Games caused her to be distant and unapproachable. Erasa silently giggled. How Gohan not only became her friend but her fiancé was beyond her. Every guy that had approached Videl in the past few years had been turned away, some rather violently. Heck, even Sharpner had tried twice when they were 13 and 15 and both times resulted in him nearly losing his family jewels. Now here she was acting in a familiar and almost romantic manner with the young man.

"Gohan, you have food all over your face." Videl groaned.

The boy in question looked up and Erasa had to stifle her laughter as Gohan hastily wiped his face with a napkin. She had to hold it in even more when she saw that he clearly missed.

"Ugh fine," Videl sighed before she leant over "here."

She took the napkin from his hand and began to wipe off the mush that had been left on his face. Erasa had to turn her face to hide the massive smile that had grown in the last minute. Now it was definitely romantic. She turned back once she deemed it safe as the lovebirds continued eating. A few minutes later Videl stood up after packing up her lunch box. Both Gohan and Erasa looked up confused as there was still at least 15 minutes til the end of lunch.

"I'm gonna finish up early," Videl announced "Miss wants me to help sort something for her."

"Sounds boring." Erasa huffed to which Videl agreed.

"I'll see you two in class." Videl said.

As she was about to leave she stopped in front of Gohan. The Ox Prince looked up curiously before Videl reached her hand out and touched Gohan's face. Erasa watched the exchange eagerly, drinking in the romantic gesture as Videl plucked a grain of rice that had strayed from Gohan's mouth.

"Kami, you're a messy eater." She teased before flicking the grain right at his face.

"Hey c'mon, I'm still trying to eat!" Gohan whined, trying to ignore his fiancée's playful antics.

She laughed once more before disappearing down the stairs. As Gohan continued to eat he noticed a pair of blue eyes on him. He swallowed his food with a big gulp before slowly turning to the blonde girl that sat near him.

"Err, what's up, Erasa?" he asked.

His friend giggled, no almost snickered to herself as her full lips expanded into a giant smile. In all honesty, it was scaring Gohan a little.

"What is it?" he asked again.

"Oh nothing," Erasa finally answered "Just observing the exchanges between you and Videl."

"Ah I see." Gohan responded blankly before stopping in his tracks "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

"Oh it's definitely good!" she grinned.

"Right…"

Gohan continued to eat but he could feel Erasa's gaze still on him as she slowly chewed her sandwich.

"So how far have you two gone?" Erasa suddenly asked.

The Half Saiyan looked up confusedly, unsure about the terminology that Erasa had used. That tipped the blonde off to explain.

"You know, have you guys held hands? Kissed? Compete at the Sperm Cell Games?"

It was then that Gohan spat out what little food had remained in his mouth.

"Sp-sp-what?!"

"You know, have you been getting your banana peeled? Have you glazed her donut?" Erasa continued much to Gohan's embarrassment as he picked up on what she meant.

"N-n-no! Not at a-all!" he stuttered before dropping his voice. "We haven't even kis-"

He stopped when he remembered that moment in the moonlight during the ball. A light blush dusted his cheeks that was not missed by the busty blonde.

"Ohohoho what's this?!" she squealed in delight "You've kissed?! When?! How?! I can't believe she didn't tell me!"

Gohan turned away in embarrassment.

"It was… well, that is… um…" he trailed off.

"Was it during the ball?!" Erasa asked, beaming at her friend.

Gohan awkwardly nodded as the girl bounced in happiness. He kept his silence as she began to daydream about how it happened. Hoping that the conversation would either end or change, he continued to eat before his bubble was burst when Erasa moved to ask a question.

"Have you gone on a date with her yet?"

"D-d-d-date?!" Gohan stuttered loudly "What do you mean 'date?'"

Erasa frowned.

"You know, going out somewhere nice together. Maybe for dinner or a movie." She said before thinking some more "Well, I guess you wouldn't really have to go too far for fancy food since you live in a castle now but there's plenty of places you can go to for a date!"

"Uh I well, I've never thought about it, I guess." Gohan replied "I've never gone on a date before."

"Huh… that's kinda lame." Erasa huffed "Not the part about you never going on a date before but more not having thought about it."

"R-really? I didn't know."

"I mean you really should be considering how beautiful your fiancée is."

"I-True, I guess." Gohan agreed before realising Erasa had caught him a little trap.

"Oho! So you do think she's beautiful?" Erasa said with a smirk.

"I, um! W-well…" Gohan stuttered again "I gu- yeah. She is."

"And do you love her?" Erasa continued with the unfading grin that had been building.

"L-l-love?!" Gohan spluttered "I-I don't know about l-l-love."

The blonde shuffled closer to Gohan and began to study his face. The Half-Saiyan was sweating balls as he felt his friend's eyes boring into him.

"B-but, I am fond of her." He admitted.

Erasa's eyes beamed at the boy. It seemed the relationship between two of her best friends had been steadily growing to the point that one would even admit their attraction. Not to mention how near lovey dovey they were earlier. That caused her to ponder a few questions.

"Do you two act differently when you're not around us?" she asked.

Gohan thought for a moment before shaking his head.

"No, not really." He replied "At least, I don't think so."

"Huh, well what do you do together? Other than all the royal stuff, that is."

The boy pondered. Most of the time they spent together was pretty much to do with the Ox Kingdom.

"Uh I guess we train together, sometimes meditate."

"Meditate?" Erasa asked before sighing "Uh well I guess if that's what you guys are into…"

"It's actually really calming." Gohan retorted "I think Videl's been feeling a little lighter because of it."

"If that's what floats your boat then." The blonde huffed.

Gohan gave her a weak smile.

"But yeah, other than that, I don't really think we do too much else together." He finished.

"So ask her on a date." Erasa bluntly said.

"A d-d-d-d-date?!" the boy stuttered "I c-c-can't ask her out on a d-d-d-date!"

"Why not?" Erasa said as she frowned at him.

"Well that's because… um well… you know…" Gohan droned before trailing off.

"Gohan," Erasa said her name firmly as she placed a hand on the arm closest to her. "You two are going to get married in a few months. And from what I can tell, you two are pretty attracted to each other. Why not just go for it?"

"Is she… did she say that?" Gohan asked.

"No but trust me, I can tell."

The boy desperately tried to fight off a blush again. He cleared his throat.

"I um, I don't really know what to do…" he replied.

"You've already kissed her and you know, you're engaged so it's not like there's a specific formula or chain of events you have to follow." She instructed "Just ask her to go somewhere with you and have some fun together."

"Where would we even go?"

Erasa pondered for a moment.

"Hm, well a movie or dinner might seem a little tame, I suppose." She stated "And you don't want to do something you guys typically do already."

"I see," Gohan replied "I guess I'll look out to see if there's something nice we can do or go to."

The blonde girl smiled.

"Be sure to give me all the details after!" she beamed.

* * *

That afternoon Gohan had found himself at Capsule Corp with Videl. Bulma had finally finished his partner's costume much to Videl's delight. It was similar to his own Gold Fighter-Saiyan inspired one, with a matching chest plate that was slate black with light grey trimming. Instead of tassets on the side like his, Videl's had a flexible skirt connected to a white belt to provide more modesty. Underneath were a pair of black tights and the outfit was finished off with the trademark spacefaring gold capped boots and a pair of black wristbands. Despite the fact that the populace already knew her as a public hero, she wore a similar domino mask to cover her face, just like the Gold Fighter's. If Gohan could be honest, seeing her decked out in her costume was rather intoxicating. Especially due to how the chest plate hugged her petite frame and how exposed her arms were. They were really nice arms.

"How do I look, Gohan?" Videl asked with a tentative smile.

The question broke Gohan out of his rather inappropriate thoughts.

"Oh um!" he stuttered "You look good."

She grinned and stuck her fist out at him, posing.

"The Black Devil is ready for duty." She saluted.

"You're really going with that?" Gohan asked awkwardly, embarrassed at the off the cuff nickname he had given her.

"Yeah, why not? I mean if you mix up the letters in my name it does become Devil."

"I guess it is fitting."

"Oh its fine, Mr Gold Fighter." Bulma said, interjecting herself in the couple's conversation.

Trunks came up from around the corner.

"I kind of want one now," he commented.

"Do you mind if I go test my movements out?" Videl asked.

"Go ahead," Bulma said with a smile "Trunks, can you take her to the Gravity Chamber?"

"Sure thing, Mum."

"You coming, Gohan? Videl asked.

He shook his head and smiled.

"Nah you go ahead, I'll come by in a bit. I wanted to ask Bulma some things."

"Suit yourself."

Videl and Trunks soon left the room and Gohan was left with Bulma who leaned against a nearby desk.

"Have you made any progress on that sample?" Gohan asked.

"Sadly, not really." Bulma sighed "I mean, I've managed to separate the compounds and I can tell that humans are the base genome but there are a lot of mixed strains that I can't really get them to separate."

"Did you want help? I can fill in if you-" Gohan began before Bulma cut him off.

"No, you already have a lot on your plate and it's been a while since they've appeared. Hopefully they're gonna lay low for a while to give us time to figure them out."

"I see," Gohan said "What about that tag on the wolf I gave you?"

"Well I analysed it when I had time and it definitely looks like experimentation on animals which I hate to say, isn't as farfetched as it sounds. People just tend to keep things like that wrapped up to stay away from public attention."

"Damn, I guess we can't really do anything until we find out more or see them again." Gohan said.

"Yeah, I had Vegeta fly over the area quickly but he didn't find anything on the surface." Bulma ended as she lit a cigarette. "So, how are you?"

"What do you mean?"

"How are you and Videl? You're going to marry that girl in a few months, you know."

"We're good, I guess." Gohan said awkwardly.

"Are you in love with her?" Bulma suddenly asked.

That was the second time today someone had asked him that. He had to admit, he was very fond of her and his attraction towards his fiancée had been steadily growing over the months. He didn't think it was love but he did like her. Quite a lot. Enough to lose control and kiss her on that evening. The thought made him want the taste of her strawberry scented lips once more and his cheeks flushed red. His predicament didn't go unnoticed as his godmother grinned from ear to ear.

"You are! You are!" she giggled in delight.

"N-no!" Gohan denied before pausing to think "At least, I don't think so."

Bulma laughed some more before a thought struck her. Gohan watched her walk over to a nearby drawer. She proceeded to open it and dig through the contents before she pulled out a thin envelope. She handed it to Gohan and he opened it. Inside were 2 tickets with the name of the West City Aquarium on it as well as a subheading announcing the opening of a new section.

"An aquarium?"

"Yeah," Bulma nodded "I got those tickets as part of Capsule Corp's sponsorship program with the Aquarium but you know Vegeta. He'd never go to that sort of thing."

"Haha yeah he'd probably be more tempted to eat the fish there." Gohan laughed.

"So take Videl there this weekend." Bulma suggested.

Gohan eyed the two tickets in his hand. A whole day with Videl that'd be different from what they normally did. No training or meditation, no royal lessons or castle attendants. Just the two of them together enjoying each other's company.

"I think I might, actually." He stated.

"Good," Bulma smiled as she took a drag of her cigarette "Be sure you two dress up nicely. Not too fancy but something that suits a date."

Gohan blushed at the word date before thanking Bulma once more and leaving the room to go find Videl. Now he just needed to find the courage to actually ask her.

* * *

It was already Friday and Gohan still had yet to ask Videl. He had tried on numerous occasions but every time he made an attempt he either was interrupted or just couldn't find the courage to. School had just ended and they were ready to fly to the castle. In the past few months, Videl had pretty much all but moved there permanently, very rarely returning to her home in Satan City. Just before they took to the skies, Gohan had noticed Erasa looking at him.

"Hurry up and ask her." She mouthed.

He nodded knowingly and followed Videl who had already leapt into the air. As they drifted through the sky, Gohan began to muster up his courage and steel himself. He took a deep breath as they flew over a small mountain range.

"H-hey Videl?" he began.

"What's up?"

For the first time since he could remember, Gohan was sweating during normal flight. He cleared his throat.

"Do you um, do you have plans tomorrow?" he asked.

Videl looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Err don't we usually train and do Ki practice on Saturdays?"

Gohan couldn't help but blushed lightly.

"Oh right hehe…" he said.

"But other than that, no not really." Videl answered "Why?"

The boy swallowed a gulp of saliva that had been building in his mouth.

"Well it's just that, Bulma gave me a pair of tickets to West City's Aquarium and err…" he trailed off and mumbled the rest of his sentence.

"I'm sorry, what was that? Aquarium?" Videl asked.

Gohan grit his teeth and exhaled the breath he didn't know he was holding. He had fought intergalactic tyrants, beings hell-bent on perfection. He had travelled all over the world and through space. Surely that was nothing compared to asking out Videl on a date. She was his fiancé for crying out loud!

"I said do you want to go to the Aquarium tomorrow with me?!" he accidentally shouted "I erm, I have two promo tickets."

Videl almost lost her place in the sky at his outburst. Was he asking her on a… She blushed a little.

"Are you asking me on a date, Gohan?" She bashfully asked.

"Err, yes actually." He answered.

Videl could feel a rush of blood flow towards her cheeks. She had never really thought about that before. Over the years there had been plenty of guys that had tried to ask her out, including Sharpner but she had always rejected them, sometimes in slightly violent ways. But she had never thought about that when it came to Gohan, even though they were going to be married. He just didn't seem the type to go out on dates like that but then again, neither was she. But deep down she could feel that she did want this. It was something completely new to her and she had to admit, she was curious about the experience. Not only that, she would be spending a whole day with Gohan that wasn't at school or involved any royal business.

"I… I'd be happy to go with you." She said with a smile.

He couldn't help but smile back.

"We'll go before lunchtime."

They both couldn't wait for tomorrow to come.

* * *

That night Videl stood in front of her opened wardrobe. While she was silent on the outside, internally she was screaming.

 _'WHAT THE HELL DO I WEAR?!'_

A part of her didn't want to ask Erasa for advice. Her best friend was going to eat this up and constantly tease her but Videl knew nothing about going on dates. Her last outfits had been planned and ordered for her by Siri and the castle staff. She was about to reach for her phone when she heard knocking on her door.

"Come in." She called out.

The door swung open to reveal Lime with a rather amused expression on her face.

"Oh, good evening." Videl said, greeting her friend.

"Picking an outfit for your date?" Lime grinned.

Videl's mouth was agape.

"How did you know?" She asked "Did Gohan tell you?"

"Didn't need to." Lime laughed as she moved to sit on Videl's bed "I walked past his room earlier and heard him repeating the words 'what do I do on this date?.'"

Videl couldn't help but smile a little at her fiancé's dorkiness. At least she wasn't the only one that was nervous about it. The auburn haired girl stretched and eyed her.

"So, what do you have planned to wear?"

Videl eyed her wardrobe. The majority of clothes she had were simple shirts, shorts and her go to spats. Hardly the ideal outfit for a date.

"There isn't much variety, is there?" Videl sighed.

Lime got up and sauntered over towards the wardrobe. She nodded in agreement before pondering a thought.

"You know what? We're about the same size." She said as she inspected the future Ox Queen "I'm sure I have something that'd fit you."

Slightly deflated, Videl followed Lime out of her room, hoping that the outfits weren't too risqué or flashy.

* * *

It was now the next day and Gohan was patiently waiting for Videl in the entrance hall foyer. They had seen each other at breakfast and though they didn't say too much to each other due to nervousness, one could easily tell both were excited for today. He was lucky that in recent times, both Lime and Erasa had upgraded his wardrobe from the dorky Momma's boy look he used to be known for to a more "modern man" look.

His outfit for the day was relatively simple yet he couldn't help but feel good about how he looked. He wore an open grey coat over a beige sweater and white undershirt as well as dark denim jeans and chestnut suede brogues. His hair was still a mess however and he had long given up on styling it. As he was waiting for Videl he heard footsteps approaching from the western hallway. He turned to see Sangha, the daughter of Angus.

"Oh good morning, Prince Gohan!" she greeted with a smile.

"Good morning."

The young lady walked over towards him and he could feel her eyes inspecting him.

"You're rather dressed up today." She commented "Going somewhere?"

"Y-yeah actually," he replied "I'm going on a date with Videl."

For some reason his words seemed to bother Sangha. He noticed her taking a few deep breaths and took note of her Ki. It was rather erratic and for some reason, he could feel something conflicted within her.

"Are you alright?" he asked, a little concerned.

"Oh yes." She said as she put on her best smile "I'm quite fine, thank you."

She walked a little closer towards him.

"You're so sweet for worrying about me." She said, in an almost seductive tone.

He wondered why she was getting so close. Nervously, he rubbed the back of his head.

"Oh well, you know, you are Angus' daughter and from what I've heard, you've been learning to take over his job in the future," he said "…or well something like that."

The girl clasped her hands together and smiled.

"That's right! I'm sure we'll be working together quite often in the future."

Gohan was slightly taken aback at her change in tone.

"Y-yeah," he stuttered "I'm sure you'll be a great help to Videl and I."

The mention of his fiancée's name seemed to strike a chord in Sangha as her face visibly contorted into a frown. She was about to say something when they heard footsteps from behind them. Both turned towards the stairs to look at who had just arrived. The sight blew them away.

"Woah…" Gohan couldn't help but say.

Descending down the steps was Videl, dressed up and ready for their date. She wasn't as extravagant as during the ball but Gohan couldn't help but admire her beauty regardless. She had a rather sophisticated turquoise peacoat that was buttoned up over a black turtle neck and a pair of rather tight black pants and finished off by calf high chestnut boots. Like that night, Videl had elected to leave her trademark pigtails behind and instead her hair was left free flowing, held out of her face by a charcoal hairband that resembled a braid.

As she took several steps down and came closer, Gohan could see her face a little more clearly. He could see that she had some make up on. It was light unlike the Masquerade Ball but he could definitely see it. He had been so used to her make up less face that he could probably figure out if she wore even the lightest of touches. And while he already thought she was beautiful, there was something about the way her makeup had been done that seemed to accentuate that natural beauty. His mouth couldn't help but subconsciously drop at the breathtaking sight of his fiancé.

"…Videl." He breathed out.

In the corner of his eye he could see Sangha looking at Videl as well but instead of contempt, he noticed a different emotion. He glanced down slightly to get a better look. It wasn't jealous born of hatred. It was more akin to envy that came from… admiration? He turned back to Videl as she reached the bottom of the stairs. Her eyes seemed to glare momentarily at Sangha before they greeted him.

"Hey." She said.

"H-hey." He managed to return.

She was about to say something when Sangha spoke.

"If you'll excuse me, Prince Gohan, Lady Videl." She mumbled before bowing respectfully at the two and soon left.

For a moment silence filled the room as they watched the young woman disappear down the opposite hallway.

"What were you two talking about?" Videl asked.

Gohan pivoted to properly face her. He scratched the back of his head as was his habit.

"Nothing really, to be honest." He shrugged.

Videl's eyes narrowed before relaxing. No, she probably shouldn't think there were any ulterior motives even if she didn't trust that girl. After all, she had today to look forward to. It wasn't just her first date with Gohan but her first date ever. The thought got her feeling all giddy again.

"S-shall we go then?" She suggested.

He smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, let's go."

* * *

They had decided to take Videl's jetcopter after flying towards Capsule Corp when they landed in West City. As they arrived at the Aquarium, Gohan noticed Videl giggling to herself. The sight made his heart skip a beat. He swallowed and asked.

"What's so funny?"

Videl shook her head and steadied herself.

"Sorry, I just can't get over the fact we have to switch to my jetcopter when we're near something."

An amused smirk graced Gohan's lips as he nodded in agreement.

"That is pretty funny when you think about it."

The two walked towards the entrance where a teenage clerk was working. Gohan rummaged in his coat pocket for a moment before pulling out the two tickets.

"Are you two on a date?" the girl asked as she scanned them.

"O-oh um y-yeah." Gohan awkwardly stuttered.

The girl giggled at him as she handed back the tickets before turning her attention to Videl.

"Your boyfriend's adorable." She winked.

Videl couldn't help but blush as she murmured a quiet "yes" in agreement. The two walked in beside each other, faces burning bright red. Videl was silently thanking Dende that the entrance was dark as she glanced at Gohan. Her face suddenly was heating up more than she realized. She had spent most of the past few months with Gohan, whether it be with their friends, their advisors or by themselves and yet it felt different somehow. Was it because this was their first official date?

As they walked into the main hall of the aquarium she glanced up at him. The glow of the ceiling lights were illuminating his face, enhancing his features.

 _'Was he always this good looking?'_ Videl asked herself.

She didn't realize it but she was staring. His chiselled chin, his dark eyebrows. The strands of hair that flickered just between his eyes. The way his black eyes were looking around the room. The way they were suddenly looking at her.

"Videl?"

"Oh!" She suddenly gasped.

In the corner of her eyes she could see Gohan's arms moving up. Was he going to do something? Hug her? Tell her off for staring? Neither of those apparently as a piece of paper was held up to her face.

"Huh?"

She looked at it carefully to see it was a map of the aquarium. Silly her.

"Where do you want to go first?" He asked her.

After much deliberation they decided to check out the penguin exhibition that was sponsored by Capsule Corp. That was the reason for the tickets they had been given after all. As they got closer to the exhibit, Gohan witnessed something he did not expect at all.

"Oh my Kami they're so cute!" Videl practically squealed.

Videl Satan, the tough heroine of Satan City was actually a big fan of cute things. Then again, he supposed she was a lot more feminine than she would let on. He watched her practically sprint up to the glass.

"Look at that Emperor Penguin, it's so big!" She beamed at him.

He smiled and walked over to stand beside her. There were penguin species of all kinds from the crested penguins of the southern islands to the mighty emperors of the polar caps. There were families huddled up together and young ones frolicking in the exhibit's pools.

"Hey that one's crest kinda looks like you when you go Super." Videl giggled as she pointed to a rather goofy looking penguin.

"Hey come on, it does not." Gohan whined much to his fiancée's amusement.

Gohan's attention was soon taken by the nearby information stands that documented the various species of penguins as well as the conservation efforts of both the aquarium and Capsule Corp. Gohan could recall learning about some of the factoids listed during his pre-teen years. His mother had wanted him to learn about everything he possibly could, studies on penguins and other animals included. The thought caused him to think back and reminisce a little before his mind drifted to his current situation. If he hadn't been home schooled for so long and attended school like a normal kid, what would he be like? Would he be more outgoing than his current shy self? Would he have gone on dates like this with a girl?

For some reason, he couldn't see himself doing things like this with anyone else but Videl. Was he actually falling in love with her? Both Erasa and Bulma had asked him that question this week. He looked over to where she was as she tried to coo at some baby penguins that had wandered near the glass. Ah why did she have to be so cute? She turned to face him and their eyes met. He was almost scared she was going to yell at him for staring but she simply smiled. A smile that caused his heart to skip a beat.

Yeah, he was pretty sure he was falling in love.

After the penguin exhibit they decided to take a walk through the main tank tunnels. There was an abundance of colour with schools of fish swimming through the clear blue water. Larger fish and even large rays broke up the masses of colour as they glided through the tank. Gohan had seen so much in his life already but there was still something about things like this that blew him away. Glancing down at the girl beside him, it seemed she was in the same boat. With as much beauty around them, she was still the most captivating.

As he was watching her practically bounce through the glass tube, she suddenly turned back and pointed behind him. He was about to turn to look when a large shadow flew over him, startling him a little as he bent down to dodge whatever it was. Gohan looked up embarrassedly at Videl who was holding in her laughter. Behind her he could see the manta ray that had passed continue into the distance. He pouted a little but as soon as she broke into fits of giggling, he too joined. Normally he would've noticed the ki of every living being around him as if it were second nature but he just felt so distracted. Was it because he was falling in love?

"Ah that was too funny!" Videl beamed.

He couldn't even be mad. The sight of her smiling and laughing with him was too good.

Yeah, he was definitely in love.

* * *

The sun was beginning to set and the aquarium's outdoor lights began to turn on as the couple walked through the complex courtyard. They had just watched the final showing of the seals program for the day and both were in a great mood. Gohan had never actually seen seals before, despite having an affinity with wildlife. They looked so happy as they did various flips and tricks, with one of the presenters even calling them rather "seal-ly", which earned a groan from Videl. She had absentmindedly said she hoped Gohan wouldn't pick up lame jokes when he became a Dad before both of them flushed bright red and paid strict attention to the rest of the show.

"Do you want to go look for somewhere to eat?" Gohan asked.

"Yeah, let's go look for a restaurant around the area." Videl said.

Gohan had to admit, today had been a lot of fun, much more than he had been expecting. While yes, he genuinely enjoyed Videl's company, he thought he would be a massive bumbling mass of awkwardness throughout the whole day. But as their date went on, they eased into it and acted as natural as they felt they could. It honestly felt really nice to do something that seemed so normal for their age.

As they were walking beside each other, Gohan couldn't help but look down at Videl's hand. A big part of him wanted to take hold of it. He looked away as they continued to walk towards the exit when he glanced back down to it. He really wanted to hold her hand. He swallowed the saliva that had been building in his mouth and spoke.

"Hey Videl?" He asked.

"Wh-what's up?" She stuttered.

It seemed he startled her a little.

"We're… we're together, right?" He asked.

Videl looked up at him and nodded as a light blush began to dust her cheeks.

"Y-yeah, we are." She replied. "W-why are you asking all of a sudden?"

He didn't actually know why he had asked that or worded it that way but something in his heart told him to go for it.

"Can I hold your hand?"

They both stopped in their tracks. For a little while Gohan thought he had overstepped his bounds and was about to blurt out an apology when he felt her take his hand.

"V-Videl?" He stammered.

She answered by letting go of his hand momentarily before wrapping her arm around his and leaning on his shoulder.

"It's um, it's a bit cold so… can I…" she trailed off.

Gohan couldn't help but smile a little. As dense as he could be at times, even he knew that she just wanted to be closer to him. He had taught her how to keep herself warm with ki after all.

"Yeah, you definitely can."

He felt her grip on him tighten a little as they continued their way out. If this was what falling in love was like then he was definitely okay with it.

* * *

There was a violent cough that vibrated through the walls of a lab. A rather thin and sickly looking man with grey hair covered his mouth to keep it quiet. He looked down at his hand and saw red dripping. Slowly, he took out a handkerchief from his coat with his clean hand and wiped off the blood.

"Damn these experiments…" He muttered.

He eyed the large glass tubes that were on the other end of the laboratory. If only he had never helped that lunatic Gero. When the Cell Games happened all those years ago, he knew the work he had done would lead to death and destruction. He tried to move on from that and yet now here he was, basically doing the same thing. Working for someone with selfish motivations, using science that could be used to better the world for nefarious reasons. And it had now involved his little girl. He would do anything to make sure she was kept safe. So far, they had kept their promise and shown her being treated as a regular guest but he knew that wouldn't last if he couldn't produce results.

His eyes glanced at the giant figure in the main tub. The one they had been experimenting on the most. A specimen of peak physical strength. He looked human enough but he was much larger, dwarfing even Hercule Satan. Whatever he was, he definitely wasn't human. He could tell that much.

"Where do you come from?" He had been asking for months but knew the hibernating figure wouldn't answer.

It's not like he should've cared but he felt a little wrong for what he was doing to this being's body. It was unnatural and was taboo everywhere else, not to mention how volatile the samples he was using were. He coughed again and a bit of blood splattered on the tile flooring. He didn't know what would come first. These experiments leading to the death of others first.

Or his own.

* * *

Author's Notes:

Waw hand holding, so lewd. Reason why it's rated M.

I'll be honest, I've been a little burnt out with this story and do have other interests that I want to write in but I really don't want to leave this unfinished. I hope that 2-3 months between chapters isn't too long of a wait and I'll try my best to release them faster while keeping the quality as high as I can. Hopefully you guys enjoyed this more fluffy chapter. The plot will definitely move on in the next chapter but I felt I needed to show their relationship growing more instead of focusing on the story outside their relationship.

Mr. Me2, oh yeah, I slaved over that part for weeks. ;) Ahaha I actually completely forgot you had that in Golden God! Let's just go with "Geniuses think alike". Yeah, angsty stuff isn't my strong point but I didn't just want to skip that and have them act like everything was okay like in the anime. I think that was a realistic enough depiction where Videl forgives him but isn't completely going to forget it. The experiments will definitely be a big part after that last segment in this chapter.

Aaron Leach, RKF22, thanks for always reading and encouraging me with your comments.

Krugerfan18, yup! Even if the chapters might be coming out slower than before, I'll still be updating this. I definitely plan to finish it!

Enforcer209, yea same. The way I usually read things is I want to experience the joy and happiness coming from characters I like. I'm not saying I think angsty/heavy emotional stuff isn't good, it's just not my cup of tea but I think in certain parts of the story, I'll have to have it there. Hopefully you found the little physical part of this chapter enjoyable!

Mann of No Consequence, I'll take that critique and work on my fixing up my grammar and yes I do admit, my earlier chapters aren't the best in terms of grammar and I think I've worked on that a bit but I will say, I don't actually think it's a "terrible eyesore" as you put it. We're not professionals and this is simply us writing fanfiction so I think nitpicking stuff like that is a little too pedantic and doesn't really take away from the story as long as it's legible and makes sense. At least, that's my opinion, I don't know how others feel.

cc512, haha look I finally updated! I hope you liked that their relationship is progressing further that they've admitted they are actually together and have accepted the arranged marriage as their future. Gohan's also been learning how to handle others and Videl after being around them for so long so he isn't as dense as he used to be.

iMysticalDBZ, always makes me feel happy when people reread my work. Thanks for your support!

As always, leave a review on your thoughts, favourite and follow if you like and if you want to follow my twitter where I just post dumb things, feel free to. It's MadmanJrs.

Until next time.


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